The Priestess
by neverkarma
Summary: Neji/Hinata/Sasuke AU. Ancient Greek mythology inspired. In the Island of Cretes, there lived a beautiful princess. And the king loved her very much. Warning: Rape/non consensual sexual content. Hyuugacest.
1. Chapter 1 The King and the Priestess

_This story is inspired by my love for Ancient Greek mythology and loosely referred to the Illiad and the Odyssey._

_Hanabi appears, but I am not planning to have her appear after this chapter. I just can't think of any important roles for her. Sorry, Hanabi TT _ TT_

_I also do not know where this story is coming from. It could be a one shot or longer. I don't know. It depends on how well it is received._

_I have always been scared of writing Neji/Hinata stories, not because I don't like the pairing. In fact, I love the pairing too much and I didn't think i could write in a way that does the pair justice. _

**_This includes Neji/Hinata, so if you are not into this pairing, please leave. Also there is a rape scene, so please get out if you are uncomfortable. It is a secret whether I will stick to a Neji/Hinata or Sasuke/Hinata ending, so please stick around!_**

* * *

Hinata heard the sounds of footsteps, metallic armors clinking as the soldiers moved, and horses whinnying from the distance. She knew it was time for the new king to come. She straightened her posture on her seat and slowly closed and then opened her light lilac eyes. There were marks of dried tears on her pale cheeks, but she looked calm and dignified when the soldiers barged into her chamber.

The soldiers all bowed and saluted a tall young man with long hair who entered the princess's private chamber swathed in light misty curtains.

Everyone knew that the princess was having her time of solitude after the king's funeral, but there was barely any hint of condolence. Such would have been the proper and sympathetic gesture to show the woman who was still mourning her father.

However, everyone also knew that even if he was yet to be inaugurated, the young man was the sole ruler of the kingdom.

His pale irises darted around suspiciously. He exuded a terrifying atmosphere without effort, and his aura was commanding and cold. He made even, composed strides in his silver armor, and his long ash brown tresses swayed by his bare toned arms.

The maids gasped and quickly stepped aside, afraid that they might cross him. The prince's guards shoved the maids roughly to the side, causing them to scream in fear.

The princess stood up quickly and knelt before the young man who just so rudely barged in the chamber without warning. When he saw the princess kneel before him, his face was still like a marble statue's. Seeing the prince's icy face, Hinata closed her eyes and knew that now her life depended on his hands. Kill her or exile her, it was up to him.

An imposing general whose name Hinata could not recall at the moment unfurled a scroll and read in a booming voice.

"Princess Hinata, you are charged with murdering your father, the great king Hiashi. He has died under your care, so your responsibility is sure. Such is a crime worthy of executing three generations."

She barely bowed her head, and her indigo blue hair swept by her face like silk curtains. She felt her heart pounding and temples sweating at the fierce accusations thrown at her. But she knew that such was the necessary train of events that must be taken for the new king, the sun of Cretes, to succeed the throne.

However, now that she knew her life was irrevocably in their hands, she couldn't help but feel her heart pounding like a drum and blood wash away from her face. Fear washed over her like an ice cold shower, and she prayed that her sister, Hanabi, wouldn't have to hear news of her death. Hinata thought she was prepared but like all mortals, death was frightening, meeting the god of death was horrible.

Neji looked down at her and unbeknownst to his subordinates, squeezed his fist tightly. His face was as expressionless and cold as ever, so they didn't know that his right hand was squeezing the hilt of his sword. As she bowed her head before the men in silence, Hinata glanced up at his squeezed hands that were turning red. Her eyes widened in surprise, as it wasn't like him at all to lose his cool.

She was greatly tempted to look up and see his face, but she knew that if she did, she might be beheaded at the spot for defiance and treason. At least, she wanted to be killed without shedding blood next to her father. But still, because it was so uncharacteristic of him to show the slightest bit of emotion, she couldn't help but feel concern for him.

After all, it was she who asked him to be king.

"Do you acknowledge your incompetence?" a general asked in a detached voice.

She clasped her hands together, "I do." There was no sense of sadness, anger, or shame in her resignation.

Hearing her answer, the general nodded in satisfaction, "Princess Hinata, we hereby declare prince Neji as our rightful king and we ask you to denounce your right to the throne."

The princess nodded, "I submit," and bowed her head to the floor before the new king. She pressed her sweating forehead to the marble. A sense of shame and embarrassment crept to her chest as she felt like a well trained dog. But then she told herself_ 'This is what I asked for. I don't need to feel shame_.'

As protocol, a general bowed to Neji and promptly seized her arm. Then Hinata's eyes widened in shock and her paled lips trembled in shame and mortification. Suddenly in face of physical strength, her determination to be brave and hold steadfast to her beliefs faded.

She at least wanted to be able to walk to the sentencing ground or outside the palace walls herself. When she asked Neji to be king, she thought she might still have a chance for a honorable death. But where was this brute stranger taking her? As she imagined what fate awaited her, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Then she heard a man's bellowing scream.

Lightning, was what the other men thought they saw before the general coughed blood and bowed on his knees. He shivered like a dragonfly with torn wings, curling into a fetal position. The others gasped but stood quiet. They never thought the prince would wield his sword towards a man who was just showing his loyalty to the new ruler.

The king lowered the edge of his sword that dripped with blood and looked at everyone, "just because she is on her knees does not mean she is not the princess of Cretes."

The generals' faces turned ashen grey further at the king's uttered words. "How dare any of you try to touch the royalty?"

The men gasped. Letting a woman of an overthrown king remain her right to royal blood-such was unheard of. Their new king's unfounded mercy could potentially be very dangerous. And the woman was accused of the greatest crime any mortal could commit-killing her very own father.

"But our lord," a prime minister who served many years protested, "that woman before us is nothing but a source of danger and chaos to your reign. It is traditional in other kingdoms in Greek to banish such women or kill them. And she is also affiliated with the past king. Showing mercy is not appropriate."

"Enough," his low voice warned the prime minister who instinctively shut up to preserve his lifeline. Neji eyed the men and slowly lifted his sword, observing how their faces contorted in fear as he raised the blade to their throat.

The new ruler made his decree clear as day, " I am now the third king in line of Cretes. I don't heed what other countries' kings have done. If you want to send my cousin to the brothel or the gallows, you could. But you would have to answer my sword, first." He eyed the men who sweated with scorn and contempt.

The men gulped. Afraid of a violent death, they shut their mouths, but they couldn't help being bewildered by their new ruler.

Even Hinata couldn't help but stare at him wide-eyed. Being a woman of the palace all her life, she knew very well what Neji's declaration entailed.

"My lord, forgive my boldness, but princess Hinata must not remain in the palace!"

The other noble subject who contributed greatly to the coup de'etat refused to have his plans to hold power thwarted by the king's mercy for a young woman who was a liable threat to all his plans.

"At the very least, she must be the priestess of Aphrodite!"

Another soldier voiced his belief that traditions must be upheld, no matter the cost." Without tradition, the kingdom shall fall." The only reason the soldier agreed to have the coup de'etat was to secure the nation.

"It is already great mercy to spare her life! Our lord, please reconsider!"

She was a political eyesore-if she bears a son or sides with a strong political ally, she would be great danger. She must be discredited through prostitution or killed without a name, so that Neji could reign in peace. And what was a better way to make a live beautiful woman with royal blood a ghost, than to have her as a priestess of Aphrodite?

She felt her forehead sweating and her hands feeling clammy against the cold marble. _The priestess of Aphrodite. _

In Cretes and Sparta, the priestess of Aphrodite was a harlot-a state owned slut.

Like Sparta, Cretes had a temple for the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, which served as the brothel of state-owned harlots. Those who could not pay taxes were given alternatives. The government officials in charge of imperial taxes gave them more time, but if they still couldn't pay their taxes and interests, they had to sacrifice their daughters. However, Cretes was known to be a lot more lenient towards its peoples than other kingdoms, so not a lot of peasants knew of such harsh punishment. However, the nobles and those close to the royalty knew.

Nobles knew and feared the place because those who opposed the king and proved treasonous were killed, and their daughters and wives suffered the consequences in Aphrodite's temple. Many tried to oppose Hiashi during his tyrannic reign, so the temple of Aphrodite saw a rise in worshippers and priestesses before he died.

If Hiashi had a surviving concubine or queen, that would be where they would have to go to escape death. There, they shall worship the goddess of love and beauty and live as harlots. They had to serve multiple men, regardless of class, which will discredit their names, break their spirit, and make them forget their golden past. If they begot children, the sons were put to death and the daughters became slaves.

"I beg your forgiveness, your highness." The general who bled bowed his head over and over. Seeing the general kneeling next to her in front of Neji, Hinata was in awe of how destinies could change so fast.

She was no longer scared of the intimidating man who accosted her, but she didn't like how physically close he was to her. She didn't have such a good heart to pity the man who tried to hurt her.

For a moment, Neji looked down at her as if he was contemplating what to do with her life. His mind seemed to be playing with her fate as if it was a dice.

Then he faced the guards, "Take her to the temple of Kaguya. I want the oracle to tell us what we should do."

His followers' faces turned sullen. Neji effectively shut down their ability to protest. The oracle of Kaguya was above all in the kingdom of Cretes.

Then he turned his back and stormed out of the chamber.

The guards then escorted her to the temple of Kaguya so she could receive the oracle.

In the dark of the night, at the hour when the goddess Kaguya's presence is known to be most powerful, the princess received the oracle. The oracle was swathed in a a grey lavender robe, her eyes covered with a dark blindfold, and she seemed to be in a strange haze of ecstasy as she received Kaguya's message.

In the middle of the ivory temple, the Neji stood by, watching this scene impassively. His eyes shifted to

Hinata who was kneeling on the cold marble floor, waiting for her sentence. When the fire blazed on the altar, the oracle of Kaguya covered from head to toes in white declared in a booming voice,

"The orphan shall bury her bones by the moon. That is the only way she could atone for her fathers' crimes to the goddess."

And that was when the princess became the priestess of Kaguya. And since, Cretes has been fertile and prosperous, and it seemed that goddess Kaguya's wrath has been turned.

* * *

_A year later_

The birds were singing as the sunlight shone on the white marble temple that shone like white fire in the middle of the clear summer day.

The temple of Kaguya had a beautiful private garden that joined with the palace. The garden was immaculately trimmed and protected by the imperial guards and gardeners.

The young king was escorting his friend who visited from the neighboring country Namikaze.

Cretes had a history of diplomacy and mercantile exchange with Namikaze since the times of Hiashi and Hiazashi.

The young king of Namikaze, Naruto looked bright like the sun and at ease next to Neji. He laughed and frowned easily, and his easy manners and grace around Neji showed that he was confident and not easily intimidated. The sun of Cretes was bestowing its rays on his gold hair and vibrant azure blue eyes that poets sung about.

Seeing them together was like seeing the moon and sun, striding in dignity and immersed in their own discussions.

"It is amazing how you have led your kingdom" the young king of Namikaze glanced at the palace vicinity with playful envy, "Who would have known that Cretes would rival Minoa in an year?" He gently nudged him on the elbow.

"It is all thanks to you, my lord," the king of Cretes lowered his long lashed eyes to the grass and his long hair fell by the side of his face. That was the closest Neji seemed to be at the relaxed state -with his childhood friend whom he sparred and took lectures with.

Their friendliness sometimes made them the subject of gossip-that their friendship extended to the realm of romantic affections. Especially since the Cretans' king had yet to show interest in any woman.

"Neji, do you really have to address me with honorifics?" Naruto frowned in exasperation, "We've known each other since we were just boys. I came to Cretes with other princes for boot camps since I was a kid."

A slight sardonic curve lifted Neji's lips at the memory, showing that he was fondly remembering the strict classes and martial lessons. Naruto said with warmer exuberance,

"Don't you remember, Rock lee, Shikamaru, Kiba? We fought together. We wrestled together. We took those unbearable lessons in Attic, together. I see you as a brother, Neji."

Feeling a little put off by the word 'brother,' Neji said stiffly, "as I said, I think it is better to keep some distance."

Naruto shrugged, "Well, I guess I will have to convince you an other day."

Priestesses wearing pure white muslin headdresses and long shawls were busily moving back to and fro, chattering and smiling. Young female worshippers were weaving wreathes of lilies and roses, all in dedication to goddess Kaguya. But secretly, everyone knew that the priestesses and worshippers were all there, after hearing news of their young, handsome king's visit to the temple. And to be followed by the young and also dashing king of Namikaze? It was no wonder that all maids of Cretes were eager to beautify themselves and flock to the temple.

The blond king looked at the blushing maiden with eager and sincere admiration, "They say that Cretes is known for its sun and beautiful women, and I find it true." Then he joked, "But how come you are not even an inch tan? And how do you not even have a single mistress when all these women are literally throwing themselves on your feet?"

Neji's face didn't falter even a little bit at his friend's teasing, as he was accustomed to ignoring his jabs. His all seeing ivory eyes skimmed through the blushing women with a look of callous indifference.

But then his iridescent eyes shone when he spotted something from a distance. Naruto stopped talking and also noticed what could have caught his stoic friend's attention.

At first Naruto frowned. He couldn't see what could have caught Neji's eye. But then he realized that he was staring at his cousin.

The young women were all beautiful, but their beauty was taken for granted like the flowers and fruit trees that bloomed in the palace and Kaguya's temple. Nothing ugly could be tolerated in the palace and Kaguya's shelter.

With so much priestesses and young maiden worshippers flocking in the temple, it would be too much to say that that Hinata was the loveliest. There were plenty of more beautiful, striking women.

When Naruto stood looking at Hinata, his deep azure eyes suddenly looked sad as he sighed, "ah…"

When Neji heard his sigh, he sharply snapped his gaze to Naruto. He knew that before the coup de'etat, Hinata used to be betrothed to the young king of Namikaze when he was still a prince.

The princess only got to stop her hotheaded fiancé from declaring war on her cousin, by explaining that it was her will that Neji becomes king to Cretes.

But when he asked her to come to Namikaze with him, she refused for she has already made up her mind to swear her life to living in devotion to the goddess.

The usually sunny prince soon left Cretes and didn't come back until he became king to Namikaze. It was only recently when Naruto decided to respect Hinata's decision and rekindled his ties with Neji out of diplomatic and trading necessity.

When he saw his past fiancé in her white priestess's robe, Naruto laughed nervously and turned away. Neji assumed that it must be uncomfortable for even Naruto to act unfazed in front of his fiance who refused his hand to be a priestess. Also his past fiance was accused of the greatest immorality a man could commit-patricide. Whether Hinata truly deserved such accusation or not, there was no king who could accept such bride with such terrible blot of reputation. As to shake off the awkwardness, Naruto started talking about the kings of other countries they knew back when they were boys. Glancing at his friend, Neji also pretended to not have noticed his cousin and escorted Naruto to other parts of his palace complex.

When the two kings left the temple vicinity, Hinata finally looked up from her scroll and gazed at the retreating backs of the two lords. There was a look of sadness and longing in her light, opaque lavender eyes, but she tore her eyes away from the blond, laughing sun king with great effort.

'He still does that...' she reflected with a sad smile, 'putting his arm around his friend's shoulders when he is really excited..."

A fellow priestess looked at the golden haired king of Namikaze and then Hinata. She was holding a straw basket while Hinata was continuing her task of plucking primroses growing in a haphazard way around the temple. Primroses only bloom at night, under the moonlight, so priestesses plucked them and dried them as potential burnt offerings to lunar goddess Kaguya.

"Priestess, isn't that lord Naruto?"

"…" Hinata pretended as if she didn't hear her question.

When they walked back to the temple, their arms heavy with straw basket full of primroses, the nosy priestess kept pecking her with questions.

"Priestess, why didn't you accept Lord Naruto's proposal?"

Hinata sat in the marble chair in their workshop where she started plucking the primroses to make as dried flowers, "It's all in the past."

"But, you could've just accepted king Kamikaze's proposal! That way, you could leave the kingdom-"

Hinata quickly cupped her mouth, "are you out of your mind? What you are saying aloud is treason! If anyone hears you, the king will behead you!"

When she removed her hand, the priestess spoke in a whisper.

"But...why didn't you say yes?"

The light in Hinata's eyes trembled.

How could she forget her past fiance's look of determination and the fire in his blue eyes when he held her hand in his, and said,_ "Hinata, I love you. I always loved you. I know we were betrothed when we were babies, and our fathers were just interested in political ties, but I always loved you and wanted you to be my wife. I can't let you die in a temple alone because Neji's followers bribed the oracles." Her heart filled to the brim with emotions when she heard his confession, "Naruto…"_

_When they were young, Neji used to bully her and push her around, and it was Naruto who always came to her rescue. Only after Neji became relatively kinder to her, Naruto opened up to Neji and became best friends. Ever since they were little, Hinata loved Naruto and his bravery._

_What wouldn't she give to follow her fiancé to the kingdom where he grew up as a child and as a prince? But if she was to pursue her individual happiness, she shouldn't have degraded herself willingly as a disowned princess who is thought to be bad luck where ever she goes. And if she were to selfishly marry Naruto for her own happiness, he would be denied his right to his kingdom by his subjects and also become an exiled prince. Because he chose a stigmatized exiled princess, not a bride who will bring great fortune to his kingdom. She knew how much he loved his kingdom Namikaze, the kingdom protected by the god of sun and fire. It would kill him if he was to be exiled forever from his kingdom. Knowing all this, she couldn't lead her loved one to demise and despair. She loved him so much. She tearfully pulled her pale, small hand away from Naruto's._

_"I...I do-don't feel the same way, Naruto," she hid her tearing eyes from his sight, "I don't want to leave my home. I'm sorry," and she fled when he tried to grab her. _

Naruto was devastated by her rejection but he graciously accepted her refusal and left Cretes without trying to persuade her further. It broke her heart that he didn't try to persuade her at that moment. But what did she expect him to say? I still love you? Naruto might have thought he have loved her, but Hinata knew in retrospect, that it was his fiery sense of justice that made him try to protect her even with a marriage without love or prospect. He has misguided himself when it was his sense of justice and indignation at Neji that blindsighted him.

She sighed. But it was all in the past. It didn't matter anymore. She tried to bury down the storm of emotions that she feared would erupt if she opened the gates of her memory.

She made a fake bright smile that looked like it was going to break down into tears, "I want to be with my people...It was also my father's dying wish."

The curious, nosy priestess started at the mention of king Hiashi. She was well aware of the reason Hinata was banished to the temple. She did not completely believe that the exiled princess did indeed kill her father-she looked too naive and weak for such bold move. But it was interesting, nonetheless.

Hinata pursed her lips, displeased by the maid's nosiness. But she was more afraid of what rumors and gossip that nosy priestess might spread.

"I know... but... my mother, and father are all buried here. Goddess Kaguya has taken their souls to Elysian. If I leave, the patron goddess and surly the god of the underworld will punish me, for not being grateful for their blessing."

Hinata squeezed the juice from a tiny yellow primrose petal between her soft pale fingers,

"If it's just me that's being cursed, I could accept, but so will the land and people of the city be cursed. No one escapes the wrath of our goddess ."

Still looking unsatisfied by Hinata's text-scroll answer, the priestess decided to leave her alone and talk about other gossip subjects.

* * *

Lightning streaked across the night sky, and Hinata crouching over her white marble table bolted up from the sound of the heavenly eruption.

Her dark indigo hair streaked across her face as she quickly jolted to an upright sitting position. As she calmed her palpitating heart, she realized that the candle wax has depleted, and she was surrounded in darkness. The hard white lightning demanded her attention before she could succumb to the calming darkness.

She started once again at the sound that inspired odes of how the supreme god split the cosmos.

_Tonight was such night that would inspire such story,_ she thought as her chest clenched in strange foreboding.

She quietly rose and fumbled in the darkness to retrieve a firestone, and with fumbling fingers, she managed to ignite a spark that illuminated her chamber.

She went back to sitting on her chair.

Beneath her pale delicate small hand was a scroll that she was reading. The scroll was titled in Attic, _The Founding Legend of the Hyuugas and the Kingdom of Cretes, circa year XXXX. Written by Anonymous._

It said -

_Long time ago in the island of Cretes there was a legend that every citizen knew by heart since childhood. There was a young man named Hirama Hyuuga. He was a man known for his strength and exceptional beauty. What was more beautiful than his impressive physique and pale marble skin was his long, beautiful ash brown hair. The way his long ash brown silky tresses swept by his cold eyes and long, straight nose, and chiseled lips sent nymphs and minor goddesses in a heart breaking trance. But his arrogance broke many hearts, mortal and divine. Hirama was proud and thought his hair was even more beautiful than anyone's._

_While hunting in the deep forests in midnight, he seduced the virgin goddess of the moon, Kaguya. Kaguya fell in love with Hirama and gave him her godly eyes -the Byakugan that could look miles and miles away as gifts of her love._

_But Hirama proved himself to be unfaithful and begotten twin sons with a Cretan princess named Lu whom he made his wife. Having divine power itself didn't satisfy him-he wanted the power to rule over his subjects. Enraged by her human lover's betrayal, virgin goddess Kaguya killed Lu and blinded Hirama but was unable to take back all of her ocular powers._

_But Hirama's sons Hiashi and Hizashi both inherited their father's byakugan and founded the kingdom on Cretes. As if attesting to their lineage, they had the ability to look at stars miles away as clear as day. Through their ocular powers, strength, and brotherhood, they built their kingdom from scratch and developed a civilization that rivaled Thebes, Sparta, Ionia, and Minot._

_Hirama died of old age, but legend said that goddess Kaguya still couldn't forgive him._

_Angered by her past human lover's offspring's success, Kaguya inflicted another curse and killed both Hiashi and Hizashi's wives after they have given birth._

_At least that was what the oracles claimed to be reasons for both royal women's deaths._

_Hizashi's wife died after giving birth to a son. Hizashi named his son, Neji._

_The king of Cretes, Hiashi was left with only two daughters and no sons. The oracle of Kaguya said that the goddess purposely delayed killing Hiashi's wife so Hiashi could have a full taste of bitter disappointment. He hoped for a son after his queen gave birth to their first daughter, Hinata. But he lost hope after she died shortly after giving birth to their second daughter, Hanabi._

_The king of Cretes Hiashi and archduke of Knossos Hizashi were inseparable, but Hizashi was soon killed by assassins sent by Mycenae, the homeland of Agamemnon and the greatest kingdom in Attica (Greece and her colonies)._

_Neji was the only male descendant alive._

_Even at a young age, prince Neji was exceptionally gifted in martial arts and politically shrewd. He grew to be a worthy and competent soldier, assisting his uncle to subjugate nations and showcase the might of the Hyuuga clan in humility and unrivaled loyalty._

_Both Hiashi's daughters grew into lovely princesses, and the king was growing old. Lacking feminine virtues and propriety, the youngest princess Hanabi fled Cretes and lived with the women warriors of the Amazon jungle where she became queen of a savage tribe._

_When the king aged, he died on his deathbed, leaving only his eldest princess by his side. The eldest princess was found guilty of patricide, murdering her very own father from whose loins she was born, and was duely punished to live as a priestess for the rest of her life. As substitute for the evil wretch, the worthy prince has risen to power._

Hinata found it strange that she would be reading such chronicles about her family and herself. She wondered if she had a penchant for giving herself pain.

It was close to midnight. The soft silky night wind was blowing the long white curtains of her private chamber in the temple. Hinata was sitting on her chair, in her thin long white night tunic. The long white curtains billowed like sails around her. The full moon was up in the dark night sky, and the birds seemed to quiet as they stared at the white curtains expanding like sails around Hinata.

Listening to the crickets, she was reading the holy scriptures that she borrowed from the temple's library archives. The lone candle on her table was her only companion.

Seeing her past lover Naruto has shaken up her nerves and Hinata had hard time sleeping. She managed to look nonchalant in front of others and perform her duties, but it didn't mean she wasn't nervous and anxious inside.

Trying desperately to ease her nerves, she decided to read some books. But she still couldn't sleep.

When she straightened her back and massaged her temples, she heard a low masculine voice and started,

"Hinata sama..."

The priestess jerked her face away from her hands and looked at the direction where the voice came from. She raised her hands to her mouth to silence her scream and her heart pounded rapidly. Her face was pale as nobody, especially a man, was to intrude in the abode of a goddess's servant.

But when she saw the intruder's face, her face was swept with a look of relief.

She quickly rose from her chair and knelt before the tall visitor, "The king!" There was no fear in her eyes or voice, just pure surprise.

The king was half submerged in the shadows of a tall alabaster pillar. His lean torso and long legs were swathed with cool summer muslin and cool shadows were cast over his long brown tresses, symmetrical regal facial features, and the dark rims around his tired looking ivory eyes. His narrow pale feet were clad with simple brown calf leather sandals.

When he tiredly looked down at the maiden bowing her head before him, he said,

"...yes, Hinata sama. It's me."

She quickly rose and looked up to him with surprise in her pale lavender eyes,

"What could have brought the king at such hour?" However, she managed to still be graceful as according to the palace protocol, bowing her head and knees.

The king looked at her smooth, pale pink lips that smiled at him and quickly diverted his eyes away.

"I," Neji cast his eyes down, "I wanted to see if you were well, Hinata sama."

Hinata suddenly didn't know what to do with her icy cousin's sudden attentiveness. She was more used to his brash mannerisms and icy, biting silence.

She blushed and lowered her eyes, not knowing what to say except for cliches like

"Your subject is unworthy, your majesty."

At her mechanical response, Neji barked impatiently, stress lines formed around his eyes

"Just call me by my name, Hinata sama." Then he almost looked as if he has bitten his own tongue when he saw her startled by his impatient tone. He tampered the frustration in his voice. "I can't bear you calling me 'your majesty.'"

After some pause, Hinata said, "I...no, that is not appropriate."

She looked up to him because of his tall height but her voice was firm, "And you shouldn't be calling me by my past title, Neji sama. I am no longer a princess. I am the priestess of Cretes."

But her voice softened when she sawed the tired rims of darkness around her eyes. After all, she and Neji grew up together and she had a soft heart of tenderness for her cousin. He spared her life. He allowed her to live in honor and peace. He was also a great rule of Cretes, better than anyone could have expected of the young king. She was happy and grateful at least she didn't make a poor choice or misjudgment.

She turned away, blushing at his intense stare, "I...I will send you some incense, Neji sama. It should help you with your insomnia."

He suddenly grabbed her wrist, and she started at the unexpected hot touch of his palm. She couldn't help but wince at his tight grasp. He was a trained warrior all his life, so he must not know his own strength. Even as king, he disdained idle luxuries and preferred the rough life as a soldier and chief general.

Neji looked down at her quietly.

"...Thank you, priestess."

His larger hand dropped to her softer hand and carefully caressed hers. He noticed how a quick shiver ran across her.

"...Your...highness..." She tried to keep down her shudder at the surprising tenderness of his hand.

Trying to understand his softened gaze and touch as a gesture of brotherly affection, Hinata smiled and touched his hand. Her touch was shy but gentle. His hand was bigger and she could see the handsome veins on his arm and the back of his hand.

"Thank you for granting my wish... I know that father..." her face darkened at the mention of Hiashi.

She felt a sudden tension in his hand and stammered, cursing herself for bringing up such heavy subject. But it was too late and she felt that she had to apologize and thank him for his sacrifice now.

"What father did to you and uncle was..." a slight tear formed in her opal eyes.

Neji made a smile of self loathing,

"...isn't that royalty, Hinata sama? The way I cast you from your throne and sentenced you to a life of an old maid priest?"

He stared at her with his cold eyes as the night breeze played with his autumn brown hair. Strands of moonlit hair passed by his face that looked melancholy.

Appalled by his words, Hinata raised her voice,

"Your highness!" She paled at his directness and looked around uneasily lest someone was eavesdropping on their conversation.

Even her fear for his reputation irritated him. Neji couldn't help himself from raising his voice,

"Just hate me for not even acknowledging your royal right to marry a neighboring king! Anything!"

He gripped his fist and bit his bottom lip as he expressed his fury and denunciations of his cousin's untiring self-lessness.

She looked up to him wide eyed and face red in the dark. She could not help herself raising her voice at him, even though she knew she will regret it when she was alone.

"It was for the best! Father, and even I knew I wouldn't be a good ruler for Cretes! If I become ruler, the council who don't have any respect for me would not have listened to me. And neighboring countries would start invading us. And about not marrying Naruto…I am not going to give the kingdom of Namikaze any reason to kill my people!"

Afterward, she felt her heart still beating thunderously but she managed to keep herself calm after a few breaths. After she restored her calm, she spoke with great composure,

"It is my greatest happiness to serve my people in whatever way I can, my king."

She even blushed, embarrassed that she spoke so openly, in front of the king himself.

Neji looked down at her.

"Please... allow me to just call you by that name when we're alone, Hinata sama."

"But-" she raised her alarmed eyes to him. She wouldn't dare. It was more out of how she couldn't help but feel so apologetic and guilt-ridden towards him.

It felt as if she would be adding salt to the insult she already afflicted-asking her to take care of Cretes after what he had gone through.

Neji interrupted her before she could protest.

"I didn't even want to be king. You know that. So at least do that one thing for me. It's the least you could do."

"...Neji ni san..."

She thought how loneliness must have made him more fragile.

Hinata felt guilt encroach on her. Yes, she knew what Neji had done for her father despite the terrible tragedy he has went through. Despite being a progeny and genius in every way, her cousin never wanted to be king. He was so absolute in his talents and daring that Cretans called him the reincarnation of Hirama. They said that Kaguya was still so madly in love with the beautiful mortal that she had given him a new life as her lover. There were only two in the island of Cretes who earned the title of being the reincarnation of Hirama and Neji already ousted his rival who was ten years older than him when he was sixteen. But Hinata knew that he never cared for such grandiose titles and legends and he definitely didn't want to succeed his father's murderer, his only uncle .

But because she asked him on her knees to please take over the throne,he picked up his sword that weighed more than an adult man and cut down their enemies who tried to take Cretes. Now nobody dared to force her into decisions that used her for political gain.

But now he was alone, and the loneliness had the effect of making him look inhumane like a deity, scornful of the need for human warmth. But after all he was only human. There must have been only so much he could take.

Hinata murmured, "Your highess..."

Suddenly Hinata approached the tall young king and she tentatively reached out her hand. Her pale dainty hand without scars carefully overlapped over his rough one.

Shocked, Neji took a quick intake of breath and stepped back. He even tried to pull away, but the small framed woman still didn't let him go. He, who could slice through any body that would come too close, couldn't move an inch because of a small, frail woman.

"You were lonely, weren't you, Neji ni san?" Hinata spoke as if they were little children. She had the urge to embrace him, but she dare wouldn't. She should suffice with just holding his hand.

She used to hug him whenever she saw him shedding tears after Hiashi branded his forehead with a curse sign after his father's death. She would spot him in the corner of the palace garden crying with a bandage around his skull and cry with him as she hugged him. But she was no longer able to do that when Neji kept his guard up.

Neji swallowed, as she felt his chest thundering.

Without realizing her effect on him, she said, "There is no one, no family, no friend you could confide in."

She pulled back from an arm's length and looked up at him and smiled,

"You're my only family in this world besides Hanabi, Neji ni san. Nobody in the world could mean as much to me."

Neji ni san. She called him that.

She smiled up at him and said, "I love you." Her voice was soft as the wind blowing between the willow tree branches.

Neji froze in her arms, "Hinata sama..."

He closed his eyes shut and lifted his arms to hold her. But his hands froze in place when he heard her soft voice.

"I will pray to our goddess that you will find a good wife and wise queen in a short time."

Hinata didn't notice, but an artery pulsed in Neji's throat and his fists clenched.

When she felt the sudden stiffness of his shoulders, she asked tentatively, "Ni-san?" The warmth enveloping them like a moon's warm glow suddenly vanished and she shuddered at the cold.

She pulled away from his arms and she felt his fingers digging into the sensitive skin of her shoulder but he still released her.

She looked at his face, and he was wearing an uncharacteristic, ominous smile. She felt an unknown shiver run down her smile, and she might have been mistaken, but she could almost say that her stoic cousin seemed to even enjoy her reaction.

"Priestess."

Her eyes widened when he called her by the name he begged to not have to call her by.

"Would you be so kind," his voice was deep and velvety, so charming that his voice alone would seduce women, "to pray to the goddess right now? For me to have a wise, devoted bride?"

A bright smile illuminated her face. She was always wary of her cousin's skepticism of the existence of goddesses and gods.

She feared it would resent the gods, so it brought her joy to see her cousin opening up to the divine. She didn't realize that her bright expression served to darken him more.

"Yes, yes, of course." She made graceful strides out of the chamber and ushered the king to the main court of the temple.

The main court of the temple was empty, saved for the young man and woman.

The fire on the altar was burning bright in the front center of the wide spacious marble courtyard. In front of the burning altar was the grand ivory marble statue of goddess Kaguya holding a spear in her hand and the moon shaped shield in the other.

Hinata took some dried primrose stems from the marble reliquary next to the altar and threw them into the burning flames. Then she took a long metallic rod and poked into the woods.

Oblivious to the solid, dark look on her cousin's face, she smiled and spoke softly to him as if they were having a conversation over tea, "Do you know why the goddess likes dried primrose, Neji ni san? It's because primroses only bloom at night under the moon. They don't bloom in day."

When she glanced at him, she expected a curt nod. But he frowned instead, and her shy smile faltered. Her eyes widened to see his darkened expression, but not knowing what to do or say, she turned her face away and instead focused on the burning alter.

She let down the metallic stick and folded her hands in prayer.

"Goddess Kaguya, may you please lead our king to find a young woman, who will be beautiful and wise and devoted. Who bears many healthy sons and daughters."

After some silence, she finally finished her prayer. She unclasped her hands and turned to smile at him,

"Neji ni san, it is late, and you must head to your quarters. I will continue praying—"

"Priestess," his cold voice echoed in the wide temple.

Hinata's eyes widened. There was something different about the way her cousin just called her. He suddenly called her "Priestess" instead of "Hinata sama." He returned to being the ice king that everyone was afraid of. The change was so sudden and unwarranted that she wondered what could have occasioned it. Could it be something that she said? Did she do anything to upset him?

In a voice that ran smoothly like velvet, he asked and he lowered his head towards her. As he bent his neck to level his cold iron eyes at her, she froze like a mouse in front of a giant snake. She felt as if she was standing in front of a predator and she was just a little field mouse.

Then he started to ask her something she didn't expect at all.

"Do you believe in gods, Hinata sama?"

His low voice that had a subtle rumbling edge made goosebumps rise. Hinata looked at him puzzled. There was also a slight edge of mockery that was difficult to not notice.

But when she saw the way he stared at her, Hinata started. She couldn't find a better word to describe his burning eyes, except fire or white lightning.

She felt heat rise to her throat.

She took a slow step, then series of quick steps back until her back hit the feet of the statue of Kaguya. Her hand reflectively gripped on the statue's ivory feet as her light pink lips trembled and eyes widened.

"I-I-"

She looked up to him helplessly, her graceful figure leaning on the ivory statue like a relief of a tree nymph. His chiseled lips curved in mockery edged closer to her face.

He spoke in a lulling tone that only scared her more, "if anyone is to hurt you, would they help you? Would they protect you?" His voice was both steely and secretive.

Her pale eyes widened. Her grip tightened around Kaguya's ivory feet and Neji's lips broadened in a mocking smile.

Her eyes welled with tears as her lips trembled. Her throat felt dry. Her lips parted as she sharply breathed in.

Suddenly, he walked up to her and grabbed her by her shoulders. His long fingers latched onto her skin, and suddenly, she saw his face just a few inches away from hers. His warm breath spread onto her neck, caressing her skin.

He wrapped his steely arm around her waist and pushed her backward to the marble floor. She felt her breath knocked out of her body and she instinctively clawed on his arms.

The young king pressed his muscled body onto Hinata's and effectively caged her on the floor. His sleek ash brown hair tumbled on his broad, snow colored shoulders and fell,curtaining themselves from the world.

Trapped underneath him, Hinata looked up at Neji's face and her mind had hard time processing what was going on. The way he pressed his broad muscular body on hers, as if he was molding her shape to his frame, caused her senses to jump in alert.

An inch away from her face, his hard white irises stared straight into her frightened lavender eyes.

She couldn't help her voice from cracking in fear, as he held her gaze,

"Ne-Neji ni san!"

Undeterred by the shock in her eyes, he approached the hollow of her neck, and his tongue came out and licked the part where her pulse fluttered.

She never expected him to suddenly lick her as if she was a meal, and she blushed, her face red in confusion.

The sense of his tongue on her sensitive neck shot straight down on her spine.

Before she realized, a surprised moan escaped her lips.

Neji lowered his head and the cold tip of his nose started to nuzzle her neck. The surprisingly tender sensation rattled her and her heart started to pound like never before.

Sounds of fabric rustling and falling on to the marble registered to her ears.

Then her mind quickly awakened from a daze, and she began to understand what was going on. Her hands pushed on his shoulders.

She might be inexperienced, but she wasn't naive as to not know when a man touched a woman, what was in his mind.

She felt his hot breath cascading on her neck, and the prurient sound of rustling clothes thundered in her ears. _Rustle-rustle _

"Neji ni san!" She cried.

She struggled and pushed on his chest but she might as well move a stone wall.

He added strength to his hands that captured her wrists, to remind her where her place was, which was underneath him, writhing in utter helplessness.

Then she saw him slip his royal robe from his shoulder, and the divine fire burning in every tall altar illuminated his exposed shoulders and chest like pure gold.

His hair tumbled over his handsome, entranced face as he looked down at her as if dazed and maddened.

Fear and a feeling she can't identify made her heart beat like it was going to burst in her chest.

She smelt his scent, of spice like myrrth and sweat, envelope her, and the truth overwhelmed her.

This wasn't Neji ni san. This was a man. A man she has never met before.

When he again lowered herself, and slid her robe down from her shoulders, revealing her shapely, lush breasts, she turned her face away and teared up, "no, no, please!"

He grabbed the thin lavender grey rope that wounded her waist like a belt and instantly slid it off from her body. "No!"

Hinata started kicking her sandeled feet on the floor and pushing him away with what little strength her hands possessed.

Then he lowered his face to her chest and gently kissed the part of her breasts, right below her collarbone.

His kiss was gentle but his hands firmly locked her shoulders down to the ground. She cried out when he became rougher in his torrent of kisses.

Succumbing more to carnal hunger than gentleness, he opened his mouth and latched onto her left breast.

Hinata felt her head spinning as she felt him gently massage her nipple and pure white skin inside his mouth.

Sounds of rapid breathing reached her ears as he sucked on her nipple, lightly tugging on the protruding bud between his teeth. Her head started spiraling as her breasts became engulfed in fire. Her fingertips and toes suddenly felt cold as the strange sensations allured her to unknown depths she never dreamed of or imagined.

His mouth swallowed her breast with a loud suck as he pinned her wrists down by either sides of her head.

Then he rose, his tongue swept over his upper lip and went to the right breast and rolled around the nipple, until his mouth took half of the mound in his hot molten mouth.

Moans escaped her opened mouth as she fought to take sharp intakes of breath.

At the sounds she made, Neji lifted his head, watching her intently, a thin sliver of saliva connecting his lips with her wet nipple.

After seeing her flustered, red face, he lowered his face and continued. His eyes lowered to her chest and then closed, his eyelashes casting shadows on his face.

While his mouth kneaded on her breasts, Hinata struggled against his firm grip on her wrists and tried to move away but it was no use. "Ni-san, stop-! Please-I-I beg,"

What they were doing was wrong-it was not just against the oath of chastity she has taken as a priestess to her virgin god-she was not supposed to have such relations with the king and her cousin.

No, she wrung her head-this should not be happening.

She moaned, but her begs and little protests only fueled him and he kneaded her soft generous and sensitive breasts with conscious desire and lust. Her eyes fogged up with unwanted desire as she screamed for gods and mortals to help her. Her cries echoed in the vast quarter of the marble temple where they were alone.

"Hinata..." he grated. He raised his body, rubbing his bare torso against hers. Hinata felt the damp perspiration between their bare skin, sticking their bodies together. At the sensation of skin sticking against each other, she inhaled sharply as a violent rush of heat assaulted her body and shot right between her legs.

Her lungs gasped for air as she felt plunged in a deluge of fierce yearning and painful heat coiling at the pit of her lower stomach. Oh gods, she was drowning, and her head was spinning in maddening spirals.

"What," she gasped, "why-" She wasn't sure whom she was asking-Neji or her own body that reacted whenever his strong hands groped her soft breasts and felt her hardened nipples that poked at his palm. Her eyes teared up at her body's own betrayal.

"N-no, this can't be true—" she whimpered in despair and utter denial.

His face hardened.

Her eyes widened as she heard a frustrated growl above her, "so the princess couldn't believe that the unworthy servant is touching her?"

_Unworthy servant? What does he mean? _Puzzled, she looked up at him to see his eyes turning fierce.

"But it doesn't matter now," he said coldly, "the tables have turned."

Before she could ask him what he meant, Neji shifted between her legs and pressing what felt swollen and alienly hard and scorching hot between her legs.

For a moment, she did not understand what this meant.

Her legs swayed in agitation as he moved closer. The heat emanating from his loins threatened to burn her and the way he jerked himself onto her made her panic.

When she jerked her eyes up to his face, she saw his grey silver eyes looking hazy in pleasure and burning like never before.

She grabbed his biceps and tried to push him away but futilely, "Neji ni san, please!"

She turned her head sideways violently whenever he decorated her lean neck with soft kisses.

He trailed the outline of her jaw with his hot tongue, and she shivered.

The possessive trail left by his tongue felt strangely inviting with its cool sensation brought on by the distant breeze.

Tears prickling at the edge of her eyes, she groaned when he continued his wanton kisses, rubbing on her in grinding and surging motions. The grinding of his hips against hers, the rough surging, brought her a curious sense of pain and crude pleasure that kept her gasping and her legs dangling sideways.

Her groan that mixed with pain belied the delicious sense of rapture sent through her own body as she saw him tower above her.

He kissed both sides of her neck, her bare shoulders, even her jawline and beneath her round chin.

His kisses could be mistaken as gentle even. As if she was his lover and they have done this million of times.

Hinata was baffled and shocked by his familiarity.

She heard the slight sounds of sucking and pecking and her heart thundered as his lips kept marking her sensitive chest and neck with suckling kisses.

She felt as if he wanted to possess her as he groped her sensitive breasts and kept kissing and suckling. She dug her nails onto his shoulders and cried, "no...please." But her pleas were lost on him.

The fire burning on the altar hissed and spat as the man started tearing down the clothes of the struggling woman.

His hands trailed down her hot body and met her thin undergarment covering what was supposed to be most precious to her.

His thumb rubbed on her soft nether lips through the fabric gently. The softened arch of his brows and his glazed and intent eyes showed that he was quietly relishing the wetness.

A current of shock passed from the contact to her spine then to her head, and her chest palpitated in a maddening way.

Her eyes shut tight, Hinata managed to push him away and raise her upper body from the floor.

Neji grunted, but he lunged back at her and they started fighting against eachother with renewed vigor.

The fire cast the shadows of the two struggling forced lovers across the marble. The shadow of a long haired woman with bountiful breasts moved her arms but the tall man with long straight hair arrested her, kissed her, and pushed her to the floor where she was further violated.

The fire spat and crackled fearfully as the woman panted as her attacker lavished her. "Ah, no..."

His large hands grabbed on her lush generous breasts and kneaded them rougher than before, eliciting a pained and humiliated cry.

The pain in her cry managed to stop him.

Neji took a sharp intake of breath and stilled for a second. The pause felt like forever. Hinata sighed and touched his face tenderly, "Neji, are you alright now? Neji-"

But her calling her cousin's name, the tears in her eyes, her huffing breath brought upon an unexpected effect, and he grabbed both sides of her face and crushed his lips onto hers.

Without a moment of hesitation, he applied hard pressure on her jawline, forcing her mouth open.

Then his tongue took the opportunity to slide into her mouth and make slow, languid, mimicking thrusts.

As she felt his tongue thrusting in her mouth, she murmured, "um! Um! Um!" Her fists beat him on the shoulders.

Neji started rubbing himself on her privates in accordance with his thrusts and her moans.

Sharp heat lanced underneath her sheer skirt, her toes curled at the unexpected pain caused by the tightening coil inside her nether region.

He let out a deep gutteral moan that frightened her when Hinata whimpered into his mouth and started beating his sides as she felt a growing heat pool between her legs.

She hit him with all her strength but Neji acted as if he barely felt anything. When he succeeded in pulling the upper part of her priestess garb down to her waist, revealing her slender almost breakable waist, he released her lips and took time to admire the view beneath him.

Tunnel visioned by the long brown hair that fell by his side, his refined, pale features and the masculinity of his face had a haunting beauty. His chest rose and fell as she stared from his face to his incredibly chiseled muscles that lined his abdomen. Everything about him spoke of his strength that was unrivaled, just coiling under his pale skin that was shockingly soft like an infant. She felt her breath getting caught in her throat and she averted her eyes to bring sense to herself.

Hinata happened to look at the monumental statue of goddess of wisdom and life gazing forward with her cold, marble eyes.

She felt her chest rising and falling rapidly as she panted rapidly. The golden fire blazing in the altar in front of the tall statue cast flickering light on the unfeeling face of the goddess.

As he smelt her hair and licked her neck with his thick red tongue, she turned her face away and shook like a leaf.

His tongue was hot and strong and felt her as if it had a life of its own.

His hands squeezed her wrists even harder, "your body never had to bear the weight of a man." The fire in his eyes burned even more.

She cried, "no!" as she struggled to pull away, shaking her head. Her eyes widened as she felt him rub against her moist, sensitive center. Then his hand gripped on the hem of her skirt and lifted it above her waist in order to tear off the thin white barrier to her maidenhead.

Hinata felt cold air hitting between her legs, and she trembled when he bared her completely. She was as naked as she could be. But she didn't have the time to process that this was the first time she was ever naked before a man.

She cried out loud when the king wedged his broad muscular shoulders between her milk white thighs and started sucking her where she never even dared to touch herself.

His mouth latched on her feminine lips as if he was making out with her lips—sounds of wet liquid being sucked from her deep depths made her quake—sounds of squelching liquid coming from the acclimated heat. She never felt anything like this-no pleasure or pain could even strike the fraction of what she was feeling at the moment.

"Your...your..majesty..."

She quivered as she was forced to spread her legs before the man who sucked on her nectar, her hands resting on her thighs, her wrists captured in his iron grip.

Her tear-brimmed eyes gazed down at the man's handsome face between her thighs, the sound of squelching and sucking assaulting her ears and her heart pounding til she felt as if her body was the entire organ.

Her long midnight hair splayed across the marble that shone like gold by the fire, as she writhed under the feeling of his tongue that delighted in torturing her. As he sucked on her lower lips hungrily, his tongue swept over and dug in more and more to harvest her flavor.

His mouth drove into her relentlessly, as she reached out her hand and grabbed at his long hair as to tear them apart.

In retribution, he dug his fingers on the inside of her thighs and sucked on her juices with such force that Hinata honestly felt as if her labia was made of fragile glass. She was on the verge of shattering at the swelling pleasure.

Her labia hurt ironically because of the accumulating pleasure—the build up both arousing and painful.

"No...stop—pl-please-"

Tears dropped from her eyes as she huffed and panted, steam coming from her body and his.

She felt her body growing hot as he lapped on her in a way she never imagined. The tip of his tongue was wet and deft against her folds.

The king himself, the one and only Neji was licking her where she was the dirtiest, lapping on her like a thirsty dog.

She stared down at him in disbelief. She wanted him to stop not just because of the outrageous indecency-the sacrilege, but also she viewed the act as a unbecoming humiliation for her king. But as if to refute her inner thoughts, he stared at her blushing face with calm, studying eyes and continued his outrageous act of licking on her wet mucuous slit that inflamed in a painful desire.

She stared at his eyes that bore into hers in sharp focus. His stare was without any shame, as if he was checking her instinct driven responses to his tongue's manipulations.

He lifted his chin slightly and arrested her clit between his teeth and in a series of rapid jolts, skimmed his teeth on her and sucked on her long and passionately.

"No, please don't," she cried as she tugged on his robe that was falling off from his shoulders. What he was doing to her was utterly degrading but why wasn't he at all shamed and why was shame her lot to carry? Was it because she was a woman designed by the gods to bear the burden called man? But didn't she worship the virgin goddess to escape her destiny?

She was confused by the onslaught of emotions she felt as she looked into her eyes-the powerful sense of embarrassment and the unwelcomed desire to never want to separate from his mouth. To want to be close to his lips, to always be the focus of his eyes. To be pinned underneath him and his warmth.

When he rose and overlapped his lips on hers, she bit down on his tongue. He grunted and drew back and gripped the back of her head roughly, "Hinata sama..." he whispered her name as if it was a prayer.

"I'm going to put my finger in," he said quietly, "I will be as slow as possible."

"Wh-why-" she asked, trembling.

His voice grew harsh, "Because I intend to have you." He spoke as if his will, his determination to have her, his passion to take her should be enough to quell her protests and shut her up as she was being devoured. More tears fell.

"It shouldn't be like this-" she spoke between her tears and shook, "no, it-it shouldn't be like this-"

Neji stiffened, and she could feel the latent sense of turmoil simmering in him. But he did not answer, his lips shut in a thin line as he bowed his head.

She didn't understand. Her light lavender eyes looked at him dazed, her mouth half open in panting. He spread out her nether lips and placed his finger before the entrance. Just the feeling of his finger at the entrance caused her body to writhe in shock, and she covered her face with her arms as if to block him away like the sun.

Then she felt his finger slowly make its way into her-her eyes flung open and her head tossed back, her fingers clawing onto the back of his skull.

She felt Neji's finger squeeze through, and the stretching of the walls was so alien and strange that she didn't know what to do but cover her face with both hands.

Thankfully, the preparation that made her entrance sopping with wetness eased his finger that glided in without hindrance.

She covered her face with her hands in a pathetic attempt to conceal her embarrassed and overwhelmed state.

A moan escaped her lips when he withdrew his finger. She was horrified by this bombarding of desires, her desires. When she felt her walls squeeze his digit, she lied there breathing hard, feeling her body scream wordlessly for something she did not even know.

He slowly withdrew his dripping finger and pushed it into his mouth in a way that almost looked childish to Hinata. She blushed as she saw him suck his fingers dry.

If that infantile behavior was not strange enough, he got on his knees before her. She jerked in shock when she saw him kneeling before her because that meant a soldier was giving up his life. He steadfastly removed his tunic and undergarments, and Hinata's eyes couldn't get any bigger when she saw his member spring up with so much force that precum spilled on her bent knee.

She looked at the white foam on her naked knee in dismay and shock. She looked up at him but his expression was unreadable—she couldn't read his emotions except for the dark passion in his pale eyes.

Neji spread her legs and placed them on the sides of his hips. She made to push at his bare chest, but he grabbed her shoulder blades and bent over her petite, lush body.

She felt the head of his cock touch her sex, and even though this was her first time to ever see a naked man, she had seen livestock slaughtered for the goddess Kaguya and knew he was big-so big.

"Oh-gods," she cried, "no-no-no!" tears poured down her face. Reality overwhelmed her like a high wave, and she started crying out in renewed fervor. Even her attacker looked momentarily taken aback by her sudden outburst. His countenance stiffened, and if she was not hallucinating, she would almost say that she detected hint of understanding ghosting his pale eyes and remorse that clouded his face and made his countenance look grim.

He wrapped his arm around her shaking shoulders as if she was made of glass and pressed her whole body against him, pushing her on the marble floor. She could not move her limbs in the position, as he locked his muscles around her.

When she sobbed, she suddenly heard gentle sounds of shushing. Warm breath caressed her temple as he whispered, "shhh-" When she saw his face, she was surprised to see him comfort her as if she was a child. He ran his other hand up and down her trembling side, trying to make her relax and bring warmth to her body.

"Neji ni san..." she whispered pathetically,

"Shh..." he rubbed his lips against her temple, "Hinata, I will never let you go again-" He spoke softly as if it was a silent vow, a promise he made to her as much as to himself. His fingers grabbed the back of her head and he stared ahead.

Her tearful lavender eyes widened at him, "wh-what?" She didn't understand the meaning of his words. She could not understand why he was being so gentle but then she felt the thick head of his cock push into her opening, starting to penetrate her.

She tried to bite down on her bottom lip and hold back her scream, but at the end a strangled cry was ripped out from her throat.

Tears fell from her eyes and she struggled, when she felt something long and hot and pulsing enter her tight channel.

She felt like he was tearing her apart slowly. She was gasping for air, her breathing too rapid, and her mind went numb, only feeling the burning heat and tenseness of her lower abdomen.

She cried, "it hurts, it hurts-"

There was a hint of compassion in his eyes as he observed her and he pressed his lips against her trail of tears on her cheek.

She heard him speak softly by her ear, "Breathe..." Then he groaned and took a breath as if he was being choked.

Tears rained down her cheeks and Neji rubbed his lips against the shell of her ear tenderly.

She soon regretted feeling the powerful sense of longing that should never have existed in first place. What she felt was a dull ache. She whimpered and felt his hand wrapping around the back of her head. His forehead pressed to hers as he slowly pushed himself inside her. They both closed their eyes and felt the simultaneously soft and hard member enter her body.

He grunted as he slowly moved in. He managed to slip his cock inside her, but a grunt that he couldn't mute escaped him. Hinata looked up to see him bite his bottom lip and before she could react, he crushed his mouth on hers, slipping his tongue inside.

Then he backed up a bit and forcefully pushed his entire length inside her, breaking her innocence. Hinata screamed in his mouth, but he kept kissing her, muffling her cries of pain.

He was in her. Because it was her first, he was slow. Stopping his movements, he waited for her to adjust to his size and then moved slowly. The slowness of his pace accentuated the sensuality of his movements as he dutifully, almost lovingly built her climax. Hinata's pale lavender eyes turned vacant and hollow as they streamed with tears and stared at the goddess statue.

She felt torn in two. Her insides throbbed painfully and she cried-how could something so big be inside her. He hugged her tight, almost apologetically.

After a few moments, the throbbing started to recede.

Neji backed a little and pushed back inside her slowly. He kept this pace for a while, pumping more and more liquid out of her until her body started to relax some more. She felt the heat of their juices coming out from her body and she panted. Lips parting, he let her take in some air.

Her trembling hands that gripped onto him slowly relaxed. Hot juices that slipped from her body ran down his balls and dripped on the pristine marble. He started picking up his speed gradually, lust taking over as he drove into her relentlessly. Hinata let out small cries, and he raised his head from her neck to see that her head had fallen to the side, eyes shut tight.

He unwrapped his arms from her body and pinned her arms on either side of her forcefully, his body raised and hovering over her. He started pounding inside of her faster, harder, making her body jerk and her mouth to emit soft cries. Neji was panting, his long brown hair caressing her face and neck.

He watched her face, "Hinata..." his voice was husky and thick, like an animal's gnarl. Hinata's hips unwittingly came up to meet his fast, hard thrusts. When he pounded into her harder, her mouth fell open again.

She heard his hoarse whisper from above, "Hinata, look at me..." When she refused to look, she heard a groan from above. Almost helplessly, he rumbled, "please..."

Her eyes widened. Did he just beg-Neji begged her? When she spared him a single sideway glance, a glance of disbelief, fear, and loathing, Neji looked down at her, his eyes widened in hurt-hurt pride—she thought. _A stung pride—it cannot be anything else—_she told herself. Then he gritted his teeth and growled and entered into her with so much force that her eyes flung open. She met his hardened white eyes, so cold as if to refute the fact that he just begged her to look at him. He was looking down at her as if she was some prey to devour.

Hinata was writhing underneath him. Wave after wave of pleasure generated from their union and warmth spread through her body. She felt his shaft fill her and withdraw from her only to enter her again in need. She felt a strong tide build up hide inside her, like a rising crest of the sea.

"Come, Hinata sama..."

She closed her eyes shut and a tear fell. Her hands grabbed his biceps as if he was her lifeline. She opened her eyes slightly to see his face and grimaced and flushed in arousal.

She bit her bottom lip and arched her back and Neji shut his eyes and bent over her with a groan. She feared she might be pressed flat by his weight, but he supported himself on his arms so he doesn't crush her beneath him. She felt hot breath cascading all over her neck and chest.

Her indigo black hair splayed on the floor, her lips were swollen and bruised with kisses, and her stately priestess garb torn, revealing her milky breasts and body. Her pearl eyes looked up to the goddess with streaming tears as Neji kept making her naked back hit the cold marble repetitively with his thrusts and marking her neck with possessive love bites. As he kept his dogged penetration through her first orgasm, he would kiss her or lightly nip her ear. She yelped when she felt his perfect teeth tug on the sensitive shell of her ear.

"Uh, uh, uh, ah!"

When he heard her short gasps every time her back hit the marble, he stopped and looked at her face to see what her eyes were doing. Were they shut close, as she bit her bottom lip, praying to the gods that this horrid time in her cousin's arms will quickly pass or better yet, be just a nightmare? But when he saw her, her eyes were open, vacant, and broken, lifeless if not for the streaming hot tears. He looked up to where she was staring, wondering what must have caught her eye. When he saw that she was staring at the cold marble statue while being violated by her cousin, the end of his lips went upon in a cold look of disdain at the goddess.

"The king is raping her priestess in her temple, but the goddess doesn't even bat an eye."

Hinata pressed her lips together and turned her face away from the statue in mortification of his words, and closed her eyes shut. Her legs each hooked over his arms were dangling helplessly like a doll as he pressed against her mound.

Then she felt her body swaying again by the hard unrepentant thrusts of his hips. In fact, after he saw her staring up at the statue, he started pummeling her with further force.

He even raised the lower half of her body up by grabbing her delicate ankles and thrust his hips on her like the waves crashing against the ocean shores of Cretes where she used to dip her feet. As her breasts shook at the exertion, Hinata screamed,

"No, please! Please, no!"

But then came his cruel mocking words from above, "This is your reality, Hinata sama. Your father killed my father, and now I have taken your throne and maiden and everything you've ever loved and cherished. This is my revenge against your father. This is my revenge against Cretes."

She felt as if her breath hitch to her throat at his cold, cruel words.

As he pillaged her body and took his pleasures like a loot, he asked her a question that tore her heart into half.

"How does it feel to lose both your kingdom and virtue, Hinata sama?"

He panted like a beast as he impaled her over and over again like an animal in heat, "The people call me the reincarnation of Hirama," he panted, "but who except for you knows what I truly am?"

Another stream of tear escaped her eye, and all she could feel was humiliation. And he took her, moving above her, lurching onto her. She felt him moving above her, rocking her, and she felt like a wooden draft rocking across the waves in a moonlit river, tossing around side to side. Her legs were bent and splayed open on the marble floor and his arm supported the back of her neck as he lurched over her. His low grunts echoed in the temple, attacking her senses.

She tried to tell herself—the old tales her nurse would tell her. Such is the lot of women. If their fathers or husbands lost in war, they belong to their murderers. Therefore, even her body's sanctity violated and her robe torn, she couldn't call for help or ask anyone to save her.

He was king. He was the victorious and she was the shameful exiled. He could take whatever he wanted. And he took her because he wanted her to feel shame, anguish, and complete defeat. She knew that too well, being a woman of the palace all her life. Noone could protect her. Neji looked at her face that refused to face him. Her grasp on his mind was dissolving, her consciousness dwindling as he simply watched her confusion and sorrow.

As he thrust and withdrew from her body, spilling milky essence down her supple bottom, he called her name with drunken fervor, as if he was a mad man or a Bacchus worshipper,

"Hinata, Hinata, oh, Hinata-"

His fervent calling of her name punctuated every thrust. His voice and the sound of her back thudding on the floor echoed in the vast, empty marble temple.

Despite her will to rebel, she let out long moans and sighs, "ahh...ahh..."

When he came, he let out a loud groan and shuddered and he grabbed the back of Hinata's head and buried his face into the dark pool of her long hair. She closed her eyes shut as his body pressed to her shuddered and she felt the warm discharge in her womb. She shuddered and recoiled when she felt Neji grabbing her, emptying himself hungrily inside her, his hips moving into her in rushed, forceful thrusts. In his effort to fully mark her as his, he thrust his hips against her languidly several more times until he was sure he was completely empty. Suddenly seized by a feeling of fear as if she was drowning, she desperately grabbed onto his arm and Neji pulled her little form to his chest in response. He who just attacked her embraced her tightly as if to protect her.

When she thought he was finally through with her, Hinata was covered in his sweat and hers. Her light lavender eyes were dull and hollow as she gazed far off. When he lifted his face from kissing and licking her breasts, he scowled at her refusal to submit to him. And his fury made him hard and ready for another conquest.

He lied down on the floor and flung the half lifeless woman on top. When her eyes widened in shock, he gritted his teeth and glared at her. Then he entered her and maneuvered her from the bottom. Hinata swayed on top like a cypress tree blown by the wind and shook her head. She begged, "Neji...please..."But he grabbed her arm and steadied her by holding her hip. And he thrust upward and grunted loudly enough to frighten and mesmerize the woman.

She wondered-maybe this man is not human, because how could such an evil tormented man radiate so much light at his lowest moment?

She threw her head back, arching her back, revealing her splendid breasts. He grabbed her wrists so that she couldn't fight back or run away. All she could do was ride him and give her captor his pleasure. The fire next to them cast a gorgeous golden light on her body and she shivered as if she felt some chill run down her spine.

She could barely catch her breath as he played with her, fucking her, stretching her insides, lubricating her slit. He lifted his thumb to his mouth to wet it with his tongue and rubbed her clit with his moistened fingers till it ached.

Neji looked up at Hinata throwing her head back and gasping. He watched her mesmerized when he saw the golden light of the altar fire lapping on her beautiful skin and breasts.

When he emptied himself, he pulled her lifeless body off from him and laid her on the cool marble floor. Covered in blood, sweat, and cum, they panted as they lied on the ground, limbs and long hair, blue black and ash brown entangled with each other.

He wrapped his arms around her and buried his lips into her hair. Hinata thought she heard him say something but she couldn't hear because he was exhausted.

The king rose and picked up his robes while the priestess has lost consciousness on the temple floor. Despite the violation he committed, he turned around and wore his robes as if modesty was the least of his concerns, while she was sprawling on the marble floor like a rag doll. He tried to make her decent at first but her robe was too damaged and torn. It was better if he just wore his clothes first and carry her to her chamber.

He quickly dressed himself and then picked her up, gathering her in his arms, and took her to her bed chamber. But when she woke up, the priestess cried, "You're king and have so many choice women in the kingdom wanting your touch, but you laid your distardly hands on me!"She gripped on her bed sheets and cried, "And now you made me betray my mistress against my will! I hate you! I hate you!"

Neji who didn't even flinch when kingdoms declared war recoiled at her words.

He gripped a handful of her hair at the back of her head and forced her to look up at him. He looked down at her eyes that were burning with hatred, coldly, "you might think yourself as the selfless celibate but you are the selfish one, Hinata sama."

He looked at her pouty lips that he always watched kissing her sickly elderly father's hollow cheek. And her lilac eyes that were glaring at him in hatred.

He charged at her and locked her in a suffocating kiss. She fought but she was just no match to his strength.

"Ah! Ahh! Ah! Ahh!" Ashamed, Hinata tried to quiet herself but Neji was not being gentle at all this time. She hated to admit it, but she started to miss his gentleness. He took her over and over. She couldn't count how many times he took her-but she did realize that she would sometimes act a willing companion despite his brutal ways of taking her. She felt degraded and he meant to make her feel degraded, tearing her down to the level of a she-wolf or a slave.

As he took her from behind, he gritted his teeth and dug his fingers onto her shapely hips,

"I never wanted to succeed your father. I would much rather destroy everything he has killed my father for."

And he dug himself into her, holding her by her generous hips and whispered into her ear, "and that includes you."

He entered her more deeply as he dug the soles of his feet on the mattress and impaled her.

Her blue black hair splayed on her soiled bed as she collapsed on the sheets and struggled to calm her breaths. As she clawed desperately on the sheets, Neji was holding up her hips and hitting her on spots she never imagined.

When he turned her around, making her look up to him face to face, Hinata panted, "cousin, no..."

At the title she used for him "cousin," he grabbed her wrists and pinned her down and kept pillaging her.

When his erection wore down, the king touched her mound with his hands and when he felt ready, he forced her again.

When the nightingale made its last cry, he peeled himself from her sticky, supple body and sat upward and picked up his clothes and started wearing his tunic. Hinata was sprawled on her bed, completely naked and a light trail of blood was on her thigh.

When he saw Hinata turning her back to him, refusing to look at him, he felt the urge to hurt her, to draw blood.

He said coldly, knowing that his words would hurt her.

"I despise you."

* * *

It was rumored in the kingdom of Cretes that the priestess was heard having sex one night . Some said the priestess was getting ravaged by one of the gods who was angry at the goddess she served. But nobody knew who the man was, and if anyone voiced a protest or questioned the priestess's chastity, the new king immediately ordered his public execution and put his or her head on stake for daring to dishonor his beloved cousin.

_In the kingdom of Cretes, there was a beautiful princess. And the king loved her very much._


	2. Chapter 2 The Escapee

A/N: I am truly sorry for the delay in posting the story. The story is quite jumpy but I will be editing on the go. Thank you~

* * *

_When she was six years old_

A small pale child's hand gripped on a tiny chess piece made of red marble nervously, "Neji ni-san, where does the demigod go, again?" The first daughter of the crown prince of Cretes had hard time memorizing where the complicated pieces on their popular Cretan chess game went. On the other side of the board was the son of the twin prince, Neji. His long hair swept by the chess board as he rested his chin on his hand, staring at her. Hinata felt the urge to sweep his hair up and tie it with a silk sash. She internally giggled at the idea of her stoic cousin sporting a feminine bow like a fairy.

Exasperated, the slightly older child with long hair crossed his arms, "Two steps to the left and five to the front or back." He had no idea that his little cousin was imagining him with a feminine hairstyle.

"Oh." The girl looked visibly sad when she saw her demigod knocked off mercilessly by her opponent's supreme god piece.

The older child smiled graciously, "you could get your titan back." His smile was smug, as if he knew what a generous mate he was being.

The girl with the bowl haircut glanced at him uncertainly and then snatched her Titan that was doomed to the copper bowl they called the "Cataclysm." The boy cocked his head and raised his eyebrow. She was suspiciously fast for being caught by surprise by his generosity. It was as if she thought he might change his mind anytime soon. He felt slightly insulted. He would never take back his word. She held the titan piece close to her lips shyly and kept giggling. The boy couldn't help his lips curving upward in a smirk. Then he quickly wiped off the smile from his face and raked his long side swept hair across his head with his fingers as he glanced far off.

_When she was eight._

She had followed him all the way to the forests.

He was walking in rapid, deliberate strides and being the smaller child, she was gasping for breath,

"Ne-Neji ni san," she could barely hold her breath.

He turned and yelled, his face dark with grief and rage. His forehead bleeding with the goddess Kaguya's curse mark, and bandage threatening to fall.

She reached out her small hand but her courage withered quickly at the frost in his eyes.

"Don't ever show your face to me! Do you hear me? If you show that face again, I'll hurt you!"

At first she didn't cry because of the icy shock of his words. But when he ran off, she collapsed on the dirt ground and sobbed. The hurt overwhelmed her, and she would never wish the same pain on even her worst enemy.

His words smite her like a thin steel arrow, and it was as if a thin needle span through her pulsing heart.

_When she was eleven._

It was a hot summer when the cicadas buzzed and hummed in the air. Hinata and Neji were sitting on a marble bench. She was struggling over reading Attic verses, and Neji crossed his arms and shook his head.

"You keep mispronouncing that clan's name. You have to memorize all of them. How else are you going to survive the clans in the kingdom?"

When she bowed her head, he sighed and sat next to her, his shoulder pressed to hers. The heat made the bare skin of their arms stick to eachother. Not minding the stickiness of their bare arms in contact, Neji shifted to her, "Look, if you remember the suffixes, it is not too difficult..."

It took her the end of the day for her to notice that he was actually trying to help her with homework, not just being mean to her. Having a soft heart never worked in her favor, or will, it seemed. His words still hurt, but he did not demean her personal wealth like the silent eyes of her tutors who were the royal main family. He was better than her teachers and scholars. First of all, his points were clear and to the point. But most of all, he had more patience.

Her father passed a compliment of her progress in front of others for the very first time of her life.

As a gift of gratitude, she left him a golden cloth pin that showed the finest quality of filigree technique next to his training sword. It was the best gift she could afford with the pocket allowance her father bestowed on her for her progress. But he didn't wear the cloth pin. Hinata took it the hard way when she saw him not putting the cloth pin on his attire. She wondered if he threw it away.

She wish he didn't, because she knew he used to like birds when they were little. She had the gift carved like a finch.

_When she was thirteen._

Her father has taken a liking to a virgin who was given as a gift by Menelaum, the prime general of Cretes. Her name was Thorpima. Hinata whispered 'She's very beautiful.' Neji's lips pursed in a thin line. She glanced at him and saw a remarkable coldness and contempt in the beautiful youth's face.

Thorpima was only three years older than herself, and being the daughter, Hinata didn't know what to do with her. There was something odd about Thorpima that she couldn't quite explain. She also doubted that she was a virgin as Menelaum claimed. She seemed to laugh at the princess's clumsiness at every turn. Her rudeness and degrading insults were becoming less and less subtle.

She told Neji in secret, "I do not trust Menelaum. I never did. So I don't trust her...But father..."

She couldn't say more and just buried her head into her knees. He was sitting by her side, his elbows propped on his bare knees. He didn't prod either. It was no longer a secret that the king had a sixteen year old favorite and refused to leave her chambers for a week now and refused visitors, even his own daughters.

Hanabi, her eight year old sister emerged from the shadows, "Sister..." She whined, "My head hurts. Would you sleep with me?"

Hinata quickly wiped her tears and rose to tend to her.

_When she was sixteen._

The king of Cretes invited the princes from around the world, but his objective was to get his first daughter's flighty fiance to be interested in securing the knot.

It didn't help his young, impressionable daughter that Hiashi and Thorpima both heckled her over and over again about how she is unable to attract the prince of Namekaze.

Her father would say over dinner, "Learn from your mother. You're not worth your place in the palace, if you fail to captivate even your future husband."

Everyone saw how she just bowed down her head and murmur, "Yes, father." When the evening went on and the party's atmosphere drowned her presence, she let out the contents of her stomach in the shadows of the private garden.

But everyone, except Hiashi, knew that the prince of Namekaze was all over Sakura of Boetia.

Princess Sakura was so beautiful that she was called the human reincarnation of the goddess of flowers and spring, Flora.

She also was in alliance with the Amazons and was a fierce warrior and fastest racer in her kingdom. When she ran, she looked like the legendary princess Atlanta who was the virgin huntress and priestess of Artemis and the only woman warrior among Jason and the Argos' crews.

Even though Hinata and Naruto were betrothed, it was a political arrangement and the Namikaze crown prince had his eyes on the princess of Boetia since at a very young age.

She felt she had little chance to win the heart of her fiance when he was so downtrodden because of his crush on the beautiful, strong princess Sakura.

The next day, as Neji honed his spear, he said as a passing remark to the princess, "I heard that the prince of Namikaze is joining the Summer festival." Neji casually dropped the information as he was honing his wooden spear wtih a iron spearhead.

That was when Hinata finally had a chance to get close enough to her beloved prince who was charmed by her sweet affable character. But after their conversation, when he thanked her, she said shyly, "It is only my duty as your future wife, my prince." He gave the blushing princess the most dumbfounded look, "oh...were we...engaged?"

_When she turned seventeen,_

A resounding slap rang in the charter. She felt the sting of her father's hand on her cheek. Heat rose painfully from the swollen cheek that she bit inside. She voiced her suspicion against Thorpima's 'secret potion' that she presented to the king, so he could regain his vitality. When she implored him to stop taking the potion after seeing him so pale and thin and get himself inspected by the doctor, he rose from his throne and slapped her in front of his subjects.

Hiashi pointed at her reddened cheek as she lied on the marble floor, "I am not going to be chided by a daughter who is too stupid to even win over her fiance."

She couldn't hold back her tears, and Thorpima whispered something into her father's ears.

She bit her trembling bottom lip and ran away from the main palace.

_When she turned eighteen._

Hiashi became gravely ill, and anybody who mentioned his illness was immediately put to death for treason. Hiashi had many enemies who were baiting the time to steal his crown so it was no longer secret that Hiashi was now like a lion without claws and fangs.

The heir to Hiashi was a hopeless weakling and the second princess was too young. The council were relieved that the most formidable chess piece Neji had no desire to rule and was content as long as he was left alone.

They boldly marched up to her and her father's inner palace with their army and announced that they received Kaguya's oracle to take over the crown. They accused her of letting the king close to death under her care.

They demanded that the king was to give up his crown and the two princesses were to be concubines to Menelam who will succeed the king. The first princess was silent and she didn't say a word and instead quarantined herself in the king's chamber.

That night, the ailing king ordered a line of goods to be delivered to god Zephyrs' sanctuary in the mountains. Neji's quarters happened to be around the Zephyrs' sanctuary at the periphery of the capital. But it would still have taken a full half day of hiking in the mountains without horses to be able to take such short cut.

He looked shocked, even angry when he saw her entering his private chamber without announcement. She rushed towards him and threw herself in front of his feet. She was wearing an ugly brown cape and her face smudged with dirt and tears as she sobbed.

She remembered that when she finally composed herself, she said

"Menelam declared that tonight the entire council has planned to raise a coup de' etat."

She remembered saying "I...I know how much you hate father. I...I hate him too. And I know how much you hate the idea of being king."

She knew it was close to impossible for her cold cousin to heed her wish. But she had no hope. No other choice. She couldn't contact her allies—Naruto or Sakura without passing through the heavily barricaded and monitored ports. Her only chance was to get Neji to suppress her enemies.

She rested her forehead on his knee, "But, if you please grant my only wish, I promise I would do anything for you. I will give up my life for you. Even in death, I will give up anything for you."

Her slender fingers were pink by clawing through thistles in the mountains and tears dropped on his knees and across his calves. Her shoulders heaved.

What she was asking him to do was a revolution. It was a matter of life and death. If defeated, death in its worst barbaric form awaits him and his followers.

She lifted her wet opal eyes to her and met his shaken expression in a direct stare. In a hoarse, deep voice, she uttered what was wrong and forbidden to say during a king's reign, "I can't have any other king..."

She expects him to coldly turn away. But to her amazement, he gave himself into deep thought. He turned his face away from her and his long silken hair swept by his sharp chiseled jawline. The moon cast its silvery rays across his sculpted features.

Then he reached out his hand and grabbed the back of her head, his fingers digging into her silken hair. She looked startled, her eyes widened, but he maintained his grip. But he did not apply as much pressure as to hurt her.

He looked down at her as he tilted his head to a side, "So you are willing to give up anything, princess?" His eyes examined her coldly.

She looked up to him, wondering what he could possibly demand that bears more weight than her own life.

But she looked up to him, and her eyes gave him her answer.

Then he lowered his head and whispered into her ear.

"Give up your right to leave Cretes."

When she heard his words, she froze. And for a long time, she seemed to have turned into stone. That meant she was not be wed outside the country. She was meant to live her entire life in her country that will struggle to erase every trace of her. Her future in this place will be dark and lonely and dismal.

Her thoughts drifted to even darker places-was he telling her in a backhanded way that she was to die? She swallowed a lump in her throat. Maybe her cousin whom she always feared and admired from afar did want her dead. But did she have a choice anyway?

Finally, she held his right hand with hers and kissed the back of his hand sweetly, "Yes, I swear."

He asked harshly, "You swear?"

She cried hoarsely and nodded over and over, "Yes, I swear. I swear, by everything divine. I swear by goddess Kaguya. I swear."

The moment she swore herself to the goddess, he rose and took his sword that earned him the epithet of "silver-handed" and taken over the kingdom that was in siege.

He killed Menelaum first and then marched into the king's inner quarters and killed Thorpima in front of her master, so that Hiashi knows that who now owns power.

When the king died, the new king banished the first princess to the temple of Kaguya to become a priestess all her life, so she couldn't marry and beget problems.

He also exiled the second princess to Amazon where she was never to return home.

The people of Cretes called him cruel but none dared to defy his reign. And the new king sat on the throne.

* * *

Now she was nineteen. It was still dark in dawn, and the stars refuse to leave, and the sun is hesitant to come up. Her back was turned to him as always after they are done with the deed. He would rise and put on his white robe, and she would lie on bed, naked and awake and her eyes hollow. Her eyes that used to be so full of light would stare vacantly at her fingers that move time to time, reminding her that she was not dead yet.

* * *

One night, he heard her say in her sleep, "Oh, God!" His hand gripped on a dagger he always hid underneath his silk pillow when he heard her cry. Then his hand relaxed his grip when he saw her toss her head to the side, murmuring "for my world...to end..." Her closed eyelids and her long dark eyelashes showed signs of being troubled and distressed. Sweat matted her dark fringe to her forehead. She slightly opened her eyes but she wasn't fully awake.

In the suffocating silence, all Neji could hear was Hinata's sad pleas. She was wearing a light linen dress that reflected the golden light of the fire in the bed chamber. The fire in the middle of the grand bed chamber made cackling sounds of splintered wood and hissed as to mock the maiden's dream. Even in her state of being half-asleep, Hinata felt as if she could sense Neji's piercing gaze as he looked down at her.

When she said that, she herself wondered. Was she imploring the gods to spare her quickly crumbling world or was she begging to have her life snuffed out like a candle? What was she begging for-life or death? She wasn't certain of the meaning of her dream, herself.

When he saw cold sweat on her temples, he reached out his large hand and touched her forehead as if to see if she had a fever. Reclining next to her, he shook her shoulder, "Hinata sama."

Hinata started and her pale lavender eyes opened wide. Suddenly, she became aware of the cold night air that descended on her naked breasts and shoulders. She quickly realized that she was sleeping without her clothes. Her bright teary eyes stared at him in shock, as if she was asking him why he was next to her in her bed. When she saw his handsome face looking down at her grimly, her eyes met his in silent communication.

Then memories of what occurred in the temple and her screams and his long dark shadow that cast over her writhing form swept over her. Hinata shut her eyes and curled to herself.

"Oh, no," she wept.

When she hid her face away from him, he couldn't help but grab her by her shoulders and turn her around, "Hinata!" He snarled and she looked at his metallic cold eyes that burned with unreadable feelings she couldn't point her finger on. He was emanating rage but he also looked lost and Hinata felt something that seemed so alien and unfamiliar on his features—fear.

She looked back at him, with black hair in disarray, her eyes glossy with tears as she glared.

When he saw her defiant stare, Neji momentarily looked stunned. Then he let out a brief breathless chuckle as if he was told that the world was to end tomorrow, and he no longer had anything in life to look up to. The way she looked at him evoked something more tragic and foreboding than a death sentence. Then before she could process her shock and confusion, he brushed his nose against hers and looked into her eyes. The way he looked into her eyes seemed to her -coaxing and even tender. Even innocent. Innocent! She would quake in disbelief if she wasn't looking at his silvery grey eyes that peered into hers like a young child. She could feel the soft hot breath emitting from his lips that opened slightly. His breath touched her neck and cause a wide blush to appear on her soft features. Even if she might sound crazy, for a moment she believed she saw something in his usually cold silver eyes-gentleness.

Then she felt something tug in her chest-that irresistible urge to smile along when his lips curved into a rare smile. The face he had as a young boy overlapped with his features, and she longed to see his face longer. Back then when they were children, she did everything in her power to see his smile, to break down the mask of self-discipline. How she wanted him to give her just one smile. _To cherish the-_

No, she told herself. No, no, she shook her head in denial_ This couldn't be-I couldn't be. _Her eyes widened in shock at the thought that crossed her mind. She gripped on her bed sheet till her knuckles turned bone-white. What she was thinking was only appropriate between loved ones.

Her heart hammered inside her. With an unreadable expression on his sculpted face, Neji simply stared at her and grazed her cheek with his calloused thumb. He let his rough thumb slide down the contour of her cheek and then underneath her soft round chin. Then his thumb went up to her chin and then idly tapped on the plush bottom lip.

Her lips opened slightly without Hinata's own awareness.

Neji stared down at her lips.

Then he withdrew his thumb and went down on her in a kiss. Crushed his lips against hers. Delved his tongue inside to meet her reluctant one. She welped slightly at the sudden feeling of his mouth on hers. As always, his kisses were hard, direct, forceful even. At the savage flavor that spread inside her mouth, her body shuddered and she attempted to push him back. When she dug her fingernails onto his biceps, he emitted a deep and gutteral groan. His shoulder blade hunched forward as he went down on her deeply, and as he pushed forward, Hinata lied down and opened up like a lotus flower. Even when her eyes looked up at him in challenge, her long indigo hair splayed across the mattress like a soft, blue halo. Her chest rose up and down as she tried to steady her labored breathing.

Neji rose slightly and withdrew from the kiss with a sigh and looked down at her. The moonlight swept through his high cheekbones and his muscular chest. When she looked up into his long lashed eyes that looked pensive at rare moments, he grazed her cheek with his cool knuckles. Then suddenly, he sucked in a deep breath and swooped her body with his large hands and folded her into his arms. It was as if he was molding her soft, pliant body to his hard form.

When his hot firm chest pressed front flush to hers, she felt her face burn furiously as all she could smell was his scent. Ironically, due to his frequent 'visits' to the temple, his skin started to smell a whiff of frankincense. When she started to meditate on this irony, suddenly her left ear felt extremely hot and she felt the shell of her left ear engulfed in sticky, wet heat.

She gasped, "your maje—" Then she grunted and her spine arched when his tongue probed inside her ear. His large hand cupped her right breast and massaged her sensitive flesh as if to comfort her. Then the comforting way his large hand massaged her breast became bolder as his hands skated across her skin. His hot calloused, rough hand touched her pale body that stiffened. Then he went up to her neck and lightly wrapped his fingers around her throat and his tongue swept across her ear.

At his impish cruelty, she turned red and confused and started to push on his shoulder, "wait—I can't!"

"You can," she could hear his low voice answer her in a raspy tone, "and you will." She felt a cool wind that swept across her chest. Her nipples puckered in a bud and watching her, Neji released his soft grip on her neck and reached down to her breasts, then to her stomach, and finally to cup her between her thighs. Her center was sticky and flowing. He arched an eyebrow at the flow of liquids from her core and the sweet scent the made his mouth water and tried to suppress his groan. He closed his eyes and his brows furrowed in a deep set frown as if he was in pain.

She wept, and he opened his eyes again and took advantage by pressing his lips underneath her eyelid and lightly sipping on her tears. His lips were hot, and the heat across her eyelids sent an unfamiliar strange chill across her spine.

She found that she should be mad but she couldn't help but feel the unexpected gentleness with which he pressed his lips to her eyelids and held her wrist firmly in a grip. His lips were hot against her sensitive eyelids and left trails of buttery fly kisses over her cheek.

"Hinata sama..." his raspy low caused hair rise on her arms and the back of her neck.

His hand that grabbed her wrist released his grip and touched her palm and interlaced his fingers with hers in a firm clasp.

Hinata bit her bottom lip when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers one by one. The way he tenderly kissed her thumb, her index finger and then her other fingers was slow and sensual but also intimate in a way that startled her. She could count his individual eyelashes as he closed his eyes and feel the softness of her fingers. His long eyelashes looked almost silvery under the moonlight. The beauty of the man under the moon smite her heart. She knew the strength of his hands well, so for him to be so gentle to her startled her.

At the surge of unknown emotions that pulled her closer, she shook her head, "Pl-please, let go..."

When he slowly opened his eyes, all she could see was the haunting way his silvery grey irises stared at her. Even though his face didn't show any emotion, his heated stare arrested her heart.

She told herself—she shouldn't be mesmerized by what he was doing to her. He was her enemy. He betrayed her trust. He defiled her.

"Please..."

Hinata made a weak plea, and as she instinctively tried to pull her hand away-Neji turned her entire body around so he would face her back. Then he wrapped his arm around her and molded her back to his entire frame. The powerful heat that emanated between the overlapped bodies sent a chill across her.

When he held her so that her back would be pressed flush to his groin, she told herself, 'yes, this is the real Neji ni san...' She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw his large hand reach for her face, thinking that he was going to be rough on her.

But instead his hand reached out to keep her long hair from covering her face. His long fingers held strands of her hair back from her jawline and kept her hair fastened. She could tell that he was being careful to not accidentally pull on her hair. He loosely gripped on her hair, as if each strand was made of delicate lace.

She felt her heart beat rapidly after that simple gesture. But suddenly, his other hand gripped against her hip, pinning her further against the mattress. He moved to fit his erection in the cradle of her milk-white thighs.

As she felt his hard, hot length graze against her most sensitive, private part of her body, her lips trembled in shock.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Stay still."

She started and moved her hips as to get away. When he felt his tip graze against her butt, he groaned and his hand roughly pulled her hips back towards his throbbing erection. "I said, stay still." At his hand's vicious yank, her knees skidded backwards and her hands were giving out underneath as she struggled to regain her balance and pull away. His hand that slid into hair jerked her head back, and his tongue darted out and licked a sticky wet trail across her shoulder blades.

When she felt him busily rubbing his hard, raging length across her mound, she begged, "N-no-, plea-please...don't be like this,"

She twisted around and touched his left hand that still held on to her waist, "please-" Over the mad beating of her heart and their harsh panting breaths, Neji looked down at her small pale hand that desperately held onto his.

When she touched his hot hand, she felt Neji's body start and shiver slightly. Her hand warmed up as she felt the firm skin. It felt like touching a piece of gold heating up in the furnace.

His lips murmured as to say something but suddenly he snapped her hand away as if she was a child and laid both hands on her hips. Startled, Hinata tried to sway his grasp on her by moving her hips. She felt him trying to slither in, to intrude in an area that she didn't know even existed in her body. Her knees tried to move forward.

But she was quickly pressed down by his body that felt like a rock. She felt like a weak prey trapped under the giant paws of a wolf. Hinata whimpered and someone with a warmer heart and more compassion would have felt pity for her.

"Hinata..."

Neji murmured half-frenzied and positioned himself and slid the thick, hard length inside her. Hinata felt her breath cut off and her eyes widen in sudden shock, as sparks of fire lit inside her body. All the sensual pleasure and hunger deluged her body as Neji delved deeper into her. Sensations that she never imagined shook her body. Even though her mind said no, her body found Neji's rhythm and moved in sync with him in slow, teasing thrusts, and the sensual friction lured her to astonishing depths of darkness, despair, and ecstasy.

"N-no...! St-stop...ah!"

She writhed to get away, but he further tightened his grip on her like a metal clasp. He slowly started adding pressure to his fingers that pressed on her tender skin of her buttocks. His labored breathing, pants, and gentle thrusts stroked the fire inside her. As he continued to rock slowly against her, Hinata heard him grunt against the shell of her ear. His firm, strong chest flattened over Hinata's back and began to further sink in what was inside her body.

Hinata whimpered as she clawed on the bed's linen covering. "To-too big-"

Sweat dropped across his jawline as he gritted,

"It's because you're so tight..."

A lukewarm drop of sweat descended from the graceful curve of his long, strong neck and dropped on her spine. When Hinata writhed in her subconscious effort to get away, Neji faintly trembled and grabbed her waist with both hands in a hard, tight-locking grip. He slowly pulled out and then came right up behind her, towering over her, his pelvic bone brushing her ass. The heat of his body threatened to burn every inch of her skin it touched.

He leaned his head down and whispered into her ear, "Please...stay still" he begged. He slid his hand between her legs and spread her wet, dripping core, and his cock slid against the wet folds. Then he groaned, thrusting deep and hard.

"Ah-ah, ah! Ah...!" Hinata panted, her body arched over the wave of emotions and pleasure she felt, and filthy sounds of flesh slapping against each other echoed in the room as her inside throb around his cock.

"God, don't move-ah!"

Neji let out a gasp. And she felt his body faintly shiver. She suddenly couldn't breath. Then he gripped her body as if to crush her and started moving, escalating his thrusts before he pistioned into her rapidly. He continued pumping, his body slamming against hers, his cock entering and withdrawing from the milky depths of her pussy.

Hinata moaned at the sharp pain. Then the pain started to leave and something much stronger overwhelmed her. Fear was there, but also passion.

Hinata couldn't believe that something this strange and unearthly was happening. Her eyelids were on fire and her head was spinning.

"Ah-! Ah,ah!"

The bodies that overlapped against eachother were covered in fiery heat. She suddenly realized that his body, as well as hers, were covered in sweat. At the faint firelight, Neji's body glistened. When Hinata turned her gaze towards Neji, she suddenly remembered how she would sometimes hide around and watch renown sculptors create the torsos of the gods out of pure white marble. But unlike the cold marble, the man behind her was all heat, cascading down on her like the merciless beams in the middle of summer or melted gold in the ironsmith's furnace that rivaled the sun.

Hinata's body quivered as her hands started to fail to keep her balance as she struggled clumsily to stay still at the force of this thrusts. She pleaded and begged, as she felt as if she could barely breathe, as his hands gripped her hips hard as he continued sliding out and then in, his pounding deep and fast. Every glide of his cock against her made her jerk and quake without restraint. Her body shuddered in sharp spasms as she shook her head and silently begged him to stop, her body feeling too sensitive and raw as her insides continued to clamp down on him.

How much time has past, she had no way of knowing. Neji let out a moan as if he was choked at the throat and nearly collapsed. Hinata breathed rapidly as she was pressed down by his hot body. Steam was rising from Neji's back and his shoulders quickly rose up and down.

In a rougher voice that was becoming hard to understand, he whispered, "Breathe..." He slowly unsheathed himself and Hinata finally began to break into rapid breathing. They collapsed onto the bed, Hinata buried in Neji's arms, their limbs intertwined.

Neji and Hinata collected their breaths.

Hinata felt drowsiness as Neji's warm breath blew on the back of her neck. Her heart still beat in a harsh tempo.

Then suddenly Neji hooked her right leg above his arm, exposing her widely.

When suddenly her swollen clit was exposed to the cold night air, Hinata gasped and her heart started palpitating in shame.

When he spread her legs apart, she gasped, "Neji nisan!"

She heard his low chuckle, "It's been a while I've been called that." Neji nuzzled into her sensitive neck and Hinata saw his lips twitch.

"Please," she blushed hardly as she tried to cover her most private part, "it's-it's embarrassing-"

Neji grabbed her wrist and forbid her from covering herself. He whispered, "is it?"

His hand grabbed her wrist and fastened it close to her mouth.

Then he whispered darkly, "princess, you're mine now... "

Then his silver eyes widened and his graceful brows arched upwards.

To his surprise, Hinata opened her mouth and lightly bit his thumb. Her white teeth gently bit down on his rough skin. Hinata felt the rough leathery skin touching her sensitive tongue and tasted his skin.

Then she apologetically licked, her little pink tongue flicking on the tip of his finger.

She begged, "please..." Her large iridescent eyes looked up to him quietly.

Neji looked down at her for a moment and released her leg, and she clamped her legs shut.

Neji turned her around to face him. Hinata started, not knowing what to do with his sudden intimacy. When she turned away with a blush, he wrapped his hands around her face and forced her to look at him,

"Look at me." He spoke as if he was spatting out each word.

She looked into his eyes. His silver grey eyes were filled with fiery emotions that were hard for her to understand. She felt goosebumps rise on her back.

He rubbed his lips against her temple and cheekbones that showed trails of dried tears, "You're my possession. There's no turning back."

Then his long fingers intertwined with her indigo hair and with a slight pull, he tilted her face upward and kissed her. Tired and feeling helpless, she received him without much resistance. Received him. Again and again.

She heard him murmuring as he pushed into her, rocking her body with each thrust, "You're mine now, mine..."

Her breasts rocked harder as Neji picked up his pace. His majestic eyes were pinned on her bountiful breasts that swayed under the pressure if his powerful hips that thrust against her. The bed squeaked in protest to the forceful motions Neji inflicted on Hinata's delicate body that still haven't recovered from his onslaught of thrusts and incessant, forceful pounding. Hinata felt as if her entire body was a site of earthquake, everything about her—her toes, fingers, her thighs, breasts were shaking. She felt as if Neji was mercilessly pushing her to the cliff without feeling any need to be steady or gentle. She tried to bear his merciless blows as best as she could, but she felt her strength failing her.

"Ni-ni san, pl-please...stop, I can't...umph!"

When he pushed up on her in a single stroke, Hinata screamed, and her scream echoed in the vast chamber. Her fingers clawed on the king's arm as she struggled to stay conscious after the onslaught of his desires and violent urges. Darkness threatened to come over her, but Neji merely grabbed her right leg and lifted it above the crook of his arm. Hinata looked at Neji's naked body settling once again between her trembling wet thighs.

And Hinata closed her eyes shut and murmured a surprised "umph!" and her body started shaking once again in rhythm with his thrusts.

As her body rocked in prurient rhythm along with Neji's pounding, Hinata couldn't help but ask,

"Ni-nisan...what...do you want...from me?"

Over the mad beating of her heart and their harsh panting breaths, Neji suddenly stilled like a statue. Hinata took the opportunity to collapse on the bed and breathe. His hand grazed the silhouette of her spine and his lips formed a rigid line and hair fell across his shoulders, framing his face.

Then soon enough he lifted her back and his hips started moving again more fiercely than before. Hinata cried, "Ni-nisan!" Hinata's fingers clawed onto the white pristine bed sheets as he fucked her harder, making the bed frame hit the wall with each thrust.

"Pl-please...answer me!...I...I need to know!"

But then she heard his voice that she had hard time distinguishing from his breathing, "Your...surrender."

Hinata's eyes widened. And she felt as if she was falling into a deep cavern at his words that brought no enlightenment or future. She gave him her crown. Neji has gotten his revenge over everyone, her father, the main branch of the royal family, herself. What did he mean by wanting her surrender? She had already surrendered everything to him. She thought she had give him everything he deserved by being a priestess. Why wasn't it enough?

The fear that his desire for revenge will never be quenched made her shake. Her body that was already stiff now felt a rise of a cold shiver running through.

Everything she could ever give will never be truly enough for him. Could there be anything more devastating?

But she is not even able to voice a word a dissent, to be able to say 'no.' He was her master, and it is the everlasting tenant of a slave's life to have her life dictated by those who owned her.

She knew, but still the misery and despair made her cover her eyes with her hands.

That night, she had no way of knowing how many times they repeated the act from various positions.

After their exchange of words, he was even more forceful and even in the darkness that offered no respite, she had to receive him. Receiving the man who was the very one who gave her such despair.

Still immersed in her heat, he tried to calm his own breath and then leisurely withdrew from her body. Liquid of an opaque color trailed across her thighs.

Her legs cringed when she realized something flowing from inside her. When she realized what it was, her face showed apprehension after the brief shock and confusion. Soon her eyes drifted lower and her gaze fell to the side, showing only her profile. He kept staring down at her, the woman who does not even want to see the man in front her and thus turned her face away.

By the time Hinata woke up at noon after losing consciousness, Neji was already gone with his heroes onto his mission overseas. She saw that she was covered with a blanket.

She flushed as she remembered how she wasn't able to still her hips that rocked when he kept touching them. And how he persistently probed her as if he knew that she wasn't able to resist and how his eyes were unable to tear away from her face. When she remembered the sounds she made that she still couldn't believe came from her, she cupped her mouth and tears rose to her eyes, "ah..." She knew that she entered the unmarked virgin territory of new darkness when he entered her and made his place.

* * *

When she rose, a strange, sharp sensation pierced through her abdomen.

Fear crept to her chest, and she had to accept the possibility. She might be with child. She has been on the verge of throwing up every meal offered by the royal chefs, and her monthly cycle has been delayed.

That night before he left, he held her roughly as to thwart any kind of distracting thoughts that might arise from her mind. She felt as if his body marked a permanent passage in her through the myriad of thrusts. It wouldn't be surprising if she became pregnant. The man, more beautiful than art, dragged her down with him. She once was princess but now she has become just a lowly slave whose legs were used to be smeared with the king's seed.

As she was being held by the master who had no pity, she thought, she wondered. Did she ever once dream of having happiness?

A young boy's voice beckoned her, _Hinata sama._ The innocent grey eyes looked at her with such pureness, and his smile was her undoing. She trembled.

Fresh tears surfaced at the sudden revelation. Yes, yes, she did, She once did. Happiness, and happiness with this man at that.

She dreamed of being happy with a boy a long time ago. She thought that she did not need to be a princess. If she could just see him happy and free, she thought it was more than enough.

However, fate did not allow her such happiness, and her life has become irrelevant to that word. That boy she grew up next to grew up and turned her into a slave. Life goes on in the terrestrial sphere, and her life has been determined to go on like this.

There was no space for hope as she saw her dream drift away to never be held again. She knew, but now that she had the chance to ruminate on the man's words, she could not help the new rising sensation of despair.

Her hopes were dashed to the ground. She has descended to a lot of a slave fit for a master's bedding-what right does she have to dream?

She held trembling hands to her chest. What if she is with child? What will become of that poor thing? Will the child grow up to also be the object of his father's wrath and desire for revenge?

She touched her stomach. Strangely, as her hands lifted to caress her stomach, she felt a new surge of strength.

Suspicion became conviction, and her eyes suddenly showed vitality and strength as she rose from her seat.

It was as if the little life inside her was beckoning her, gifting her with unforeseen strength.

_I must be with child,_ she thought. Once her doubts were dispelled, she realized that she must be quick to act. She had little proof to be so assured of her pregnancy, but she just felt so sure.

She knew the way in and out of the palace compounds and peripheral quarters. She also still had some political followers she could reach and if she could give them the impression that she was going to be their figurehead, she could have them help her get out. Then as soon as she had the chance, she will escape with her child.

It was good that Neji was out on his missions and her guards were growing lax by her inactivity.

As she went through the steps, she gently whispered to the little life taking place inside her, _I am sorry you have to be born like this. But if we stay here, you will be an innocent sacrifice to the man who sired you but will never love you. _

In her mind, she was holding an infant in her frail arms. The baby looked up to her with its big translucent grey eyes, and she suddenly felt choked, heat rising to her throat.

Her heart felt wrenched as she realized that the poor thing will never experience a father's love. In fact, the man called father will hate the child with all his heart, even possibly put his hands on the child.

A terrible thought crossed her mind.

_What if he purposely...purposely made me have a child so he could vindicate himself? For what father did to him? __Father did unspeakable things to Neji, all in names of having a successor. Who is to say that Neji would not do the same? _

Her heart plummeted to the ground and dashed to a million pieces at the epiphany.

The child would be fortunate if Neji ignored it instead of tormenting it like her father. But there was a possibility that the main Hyuugas will try to use the child and extort it for political leverage. That child will be responsible for treason without it doing anything.

On the other hand, Neji did not have to dirty his hands with innocent blood. He could simply ignore the child, and the royalists would come like hounds and execute it in the dark at every given chance.

She could not expect Neji's protection.

She carefully trailed her fingers across the baby's round rosy cheeks as it stared up at her with blinking grey eyes. Never good at holding back her tears, she felt her tears flooding down her cheeks as she held the baby who gurgled and babbled. Its dimpled fingers touched her cheek. Somehow, the baby her mind conjured looked so much like Neji when he was a four years old, when they first met.

She vowed with passion, _You might never know a father's love, but I swear, I swear that you will have all of mine, and you will never miss a father's love. I promise. You came to me when I had nothing, and I will never abandon you. This palace is a toxic place, and you will never go through what I or Neji did. You will be purer than snow. I will do everything._

The baby vanished, and now she had her hands over her stomach. She looked fiercely down at her bed. She rushed to her desk and took out a sharp knife and cut a piece of her bedding.

There was a superstitious belief popular among royalty that keeping a piece of bedding where the woman conceived her husband's seed will keep the infant safe from bad luck.

Hinata did not think of herself as a superstitious person, but now that she was about to risk everything, she wanted everything and anything to keep her and her baby safe.

Even if it means stealing the strength of the father who will never love the child. In fact, he will want to kill it or make its life a living hell.

Even if he was cruel and heartless, Neji was no ordinary man, and she wanted to borrow what ever remnant of his supernatural strength he had.

That night, ushered by men who clandestinely moved in the dark, she left the palace and only looked back once. She felt her heart rise at the sight of the ivory palace glowing in a subtle shimmer at the dark and turned away.


	3. Chapter 3 The Hunter

A/N: I am so sorry for keeping all of you waiting. I have been extremely busy. Here we go.

* * *

In the great new kingdom in the island of Cretes, the folks had a strange tradition of singing and performing plays about the affairs of the aristocrats and royalty.

The literacy rate across the country has been improving with the new king's installment of sophist institutions and tutors. However, literacy still remained a privilege of the few who lived clustered to the capital.

So the free spirited and artistic people who lived in the margins devised new ways to spread news about what was going on in the capital.

The kingdom was divided into precincts and districts, which were then divided into smaller towns. The kingdom's mountainous topography further divided the people from the countrysides from the capital inhabitants.

So it was not strange for rural towns to select a flighty youth with a sonorous voice perform and sing about the news in the air.

A melodious voice of a man echoed in the town's plaza, "In the kingdom of Cretes, there was a beautiful princess. And the king loved her very much."

Sasuke, who happened to be in the town's plaza, overheard the melancholic song that has been sang for ages. He turned his profile to the center, where he saw people his age flocking to hear the town's most popular singer.

One of the towns youth mocked, "I haven't the slightest idea why such a dull song is so popular. Do you, Sasuke?"

A villager answered with a laugh, "Why? I find the singer rather charming."

Sasuke didn't say anything. His deep dark eyes looked at the singer who played his lyre with a controlled timbre in his sad voice.

His spiky black hair rustled in the soft spring breeze, as his gaze lingered at the singer and then fell back to his pouch that had a grey squirrel and a wild poultry left.

He rose, much to the towns girls and women's dismay.

"Sasuke, are you leaving already?" One of the men called out.

"But aren't you going to wait for your game to sell out?"

Without answering, he rose and dusted off his thighs and headed to the demarcated exit of the town.

When he was about to leave, he heard sounds of light food padding, "Sasuke!"

When he turned, he acknowledged the person with a nod.

A pretty girl hunched over and tried to catch her breath. Her long locks clustered across her bare shoulders and neck like vines and she raised her eyes to him that looked like stars.

"Sa-Sasuke, are you le-leaving already?"

He nodded and waited a little for the young woman to bring out her business. But when she hesitated, he tried to turn away.

Then she suddenly grabbed his arm, toned from years of surviving in the woods from hunting.

She blushed and released her grasp as if it was on fire, "I-I...I've known you since we-we were kids, Sasuke. And you know, Goddess Kaguya's moonflower festival is coming. I-I wanted to know..." She bit her juicy looking tangerine hued lips, "if you chose the girl who will be yo-your moonflower."

Sasuke, who didn't really enjoy myths knew about Kaguya's moonflower festival.

It was drilled into him every spring, due to the myriad of women who pushed, begged, and pressured him to make them his moonflower.

It was said that Hirama, the legendary founder of the country, inspired the myth. Hirama was so beautiful that he seduced the moon goddess by staring alone. But a nymph who was Kaguya's handmaiden accidentally met his gaze and was so shy that she turned into a flower.

The crest that is the emblem of the Cretan royalty is said to be the very flower of the perished nymph.

When he first heard of the legend as a child, he scoffed, 'The myth is clearly a curse. Yet people decide to call it beautiful and commemorate it every year. What a sham.'

So at the girl's question, Sasuke showed facial expression, one of scorn, " I would never meddle in such foolery. Is that why I was being bothered so much today?"

He admitted that he had a soft spot for the girl. But it was only because she was the only one who helped him when he was a lost orphan wandering into the village. She was more like a little sister than anything.

When she nodded, Sasuke sighed. "I hardly even noticed about the festival." Then he made a slight smile at the beautiful girl, "Thank you for reminding me. I will remember to not set a foot on the village."

"Sasuke!" She called after him, but he already turned away and ran off. She bowed her head and sighed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

* * *

The sound of the mountain stream and birds fluttering in the air welcomed Sasuke. He was deep in the forests where he could relax and be in peace.

He didn't have to be harassed by people who tried asking him questions or such. Not liking crowds and preferring solitude, he was rather glad that he was forced to live in the woods since a young age.

Sasuke was an orphan who lived with a mentor who went by the name Kakashi.

Sasuke didn't know why he became an orphan. Kakashi always averted the question, when he asked him who his parents were, and why he was by himself. As he grew older, Sasuke realized that he had much more urgent affairs to take care of-such as putting bread on the table and sustaining his hut from the weather.

The sunlight pierced between the lush foliage, and he finally smiled, a refreshing smile that girls would have died to see. He was known as the village's most beautiful youth.

He blocked the sun from blinding his eyes as he stepped into his favorite secret spot that had a wealth of white poplar trees growing by the narrow stream.

"It's beginning to get hot," he muttered under his breath. He swallowed and felt his throat parched. So he knelt down before the stream and scooped a handful of water and took some gulps. Then he swiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gazed up at the rustling boughs.

If there was anything Sasuke was fond of, it was the white poplar trees that grew tall and lush in the forests.

When he felt alone, Sasuke used to take a leaf and twirl it in his hand.

The poplar leafs were pale white on one side and dark on the other. As a child, he would have fun with seeing how the color flitted between white and black like day and night.

Even now, when Sasuke had to cool off his head, he would pluck a white poplar leaf and twirl it between his index and thumb. His dark eyes would watch the poplar leaf idly and he would either drift it away in the stream or let it fly in the air by the breeze. It was an old habit he had since he was a lonely orphan.

So he was twirling a white poplar leaf idly until a cold wind swept the leaf abruptly from his hand. Stunned by the sudden chill, he stood up and his gaze followed the white poplar leaf that fluttered far away.

Then his eyes widened in shock.

The small white poplar leaf flew away and landed gently on a soft human palm.

He rose quickly. Lying by the bank, was a form of a frail woman with long dark hair, surrounded by small burrows of white poplar leafs.

His breath hitched up as he took steps closer to the petite woman lying in the forest ground. He couldn't see her face as she was lying face down on the ground.

He wondered, 'Is she dead?'

As if drawn by some strange force, he approached her carefully and reached out his hand as if she was a wounded animal.

His hand flinched when he saw a sudden rise in her shoulder, registering that the body still had life.

When he realized that she was still alive, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. And when he saw the woman's face, he was speechless. "..."

The sight of her face shot to his chest. He remained stunned for a moment.

The girl had a pure round face that looked pale but had a soft glow. And her round oval face was framed by long smooth hair so black that it looked blue.

Her built was small and petite but graceful by the way her long white gown swirled as if she flew across the wind and landed on the ground.

She looked clear like air itself, so natural and clear was her aura.

Sasuke wondered if he was beholding a human incarnation of a white poplar tree. So slender, and pure, did the girl look.

Suddenly he felt as if he was hearing the song that echoed in the town, _In the kingdom of Cretes, there was a beautiful... And the...loved...her_

A strange darkness enveloped his mood, and he shuddered at the queer sense of foreboding. Why did he suddenly remember that song?

After staring at her like a lost soul, he finally came to his senses. The girl was unconscious and she might be colder if left in the forest dew. He hoisted the girl in his arms and carried her to his hut.

* * *

After laying her down on his bed, Sasuke quickly put a coverlet made of lamb wool over her and started building a fire. His heart kept thumping as he prepared hot water.

He found himself making unnecessary blunders like burning his hand and pacing around.

This time, he dropped the kettle.

The kettle dropped on the ground, making a sound of a metallic clang.

Sasuke flinched and scowled at the cacophony he unwittingly created. He slowly turned towards the girl who was lying on his bed. There was no way she wouldn't wake up.

When he turned, he held his breath.

The woman rose slowly, her long black hair cascading like ink spilling across her face. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

When she blinked her eyes and looked at him, Sasuke couldn't help but stand stunned and in marvel.

He never saw eyes like hers. What color they were-white, or was it light purple? Her eyes reflected the light coming from the small fire built in the middle of the hut. Out of superstition, he really wondered if he accidentally brought in one of Oceanus's daughters.

Men his age make up when they are bored and need to ease their sexual appetites—of abducting nymphs that wandered in the forests for flowers or entrapping ocean nymphs that came to sunbathe. He would laugh at some of the exaggerations of the nymphs' physical assets that his friends draw on the sand. He was after all just a young man. But now seeing the young beauty with strange pearl eyes, he was both shaken and mesmerized. He wondered if he really did manage to capture a nymph like legend would say. The next minute, he might turn into a stag.

The girl kept blinking, as she looked clearly disoriented. His chest started to thunder as his eyes processed even the slightest movement the maiden made.

Her voice was soft like the spring wind and touched the deepest part of Sasuke's soul, "Where am I?" Her voice sounded soft like a dove's as she was still feeling half sleepy.

She had an unfamiliar cadence to her voice. But in his ears, it sounded graceful like a strung of a lyre. Hearing her voice assured him that she was a mortal just like him.

Sasuke had never left the mountains or the precinct that lied by the banks of the upperworld Acheron in Threspotia, of Cretes. He was not familiar with different regional accents. But he could guess she wasn't from the same district. And he could tell she was a lady of upper rank, not someone who would easily associate with the likes of him.

When the truth of their differences sank in, he felt a little sobre for some reason. For whatever reason, a young woman of a socially distinct rank was found unconscious on the forest bed. A mere hunter found her and took her to his hut. The lady woke up, and Sasuke could only imagine how lowly and humble he and his place must look.

When she finally saw him, she visibly started. He almost scowled, thinking that this woman was starting in fear or loathing.

An awkward silence fell. Sasuke shuffled his feet. Suddenly he felt as if he was where he wasn't supposed to be, despite it being his hut.

He felt his face growing hot as he felt the girl's gaze on his form. He was rather surprised by the girl's fearlessness as she didn't scream or demand to know who he was. She just calmly viewed her surroundings and him.

What was he going to say? He found her on the ground in the forests so he picked her up. He helped her, but he felt as if he was caught doing something dishonorable to the woman. He suddenly felt very humble.

Then the small petite woman broke the silence, "Are you...the god of death?"

Sasuke started and finally looked at the woman directly. She looked at him with her pure irises. She indeed looked like a personified poplar tree. A strange juxtaposition of black and white. Graceful, lithe, and very inhuman and strange.

When he finally showed his face to her, she looked stunned.

After some silence, she said, "No, you look more like the god of war..."

He clenched his fists. He felt his chest thumping as she looked at him.

Then he asked breathlessly, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

The question caused a shadow to fall across the woman's features. For some reason, Sasuke didn't like to see darkness cast on her face. It was like seeing a leaf drowning into the depths of the stream.

She nonetheless answered her rescuer, "I have no name. And I have no where else to go."

Only then when she said that, Sasuke's eyes fell to parts on her body that he didn't notice before.

Her clothes were dirty but made of the finest softest material he ever laid his eyes on. On her left wrist, she had a bold silver clasp. But he saw a strange mark on her neck that looked as she was burnt. He blushed as he recognized those marks. When he was thirteen, he was already tall and handsome enough to turn heads in the streets. Once, a girl who looked seventeen suddenly lunged hard at him and sucked hard on his neck. Repulsed, he pushed her back but when he ran home, Kakashi saw that he had a pink mark on his throat.

On the girl's neck and around her collarbone were several pink marks that showed that her skin was similarly abused.

His gaze fell to her wrist that was bruised purple.

Sasuke wondered, 'Is she... a runaway slave?'

Suddenly, he felt anger towards whoever did this to her.  
When she realized what was causing him to stare at her neck, she gasped and quickly covered her neck with her beautiful dark hair.  
Embarrassed, Sasuke coughed into his hand.

"Do...you...have any place to go?" He asked stupidly.

He almost bit his tongue. She already told him that she had no place to go.

"'No, and I have no name," she made a sad smile.

Sasuke raked his spiky black hair with his hand, "If you plan to stay here for a while..."

The girl started and looked at him with eyes wide like a rabbit's.

"You could. It's dangerous for a woman to be out alone anyways. But I'll...have to call you something."

When she looked up at him, he blushed profusely, "You don't want me to call you 'woman' or 'girl,' do you?"

She quickly shook her head, and he said, "When I saw you by the white poplar trees...I didn't know if you were human. When you opened your eyes..."

He couldn't say the rest out of bashfulness, but he wanted to say that when she opened her eyes, it seemed the world turned white. 'I felt blank in my head.'

He continued, averting his eyes, "So...how about being called... Leuke Λεύκη?"

To his surprise, a light of recognition shone in her mysterious light lilac eyes, "...Hades' lover who turned into a white poplar tree..."

Suddenly hearing her voice made Sasuke feel unsettled as if her voice lifted him to the air. He felt his heart thumping wildly and his fingertips trembling slightly. He thought, 'even her voice is cute.'

He approached her slowly and sat himself on the bed next to her. She flinched a little but her eyes remained on him, steady and alert. She blinked her large lilac eyes, which he couldn't tear his gaze away from.

He raised his hand and held her chin. He looked at her in silence as if he was inspecting a wild animal he just caught in his trap.

At his poignant gaze, the woman dropped her eyes quickly to the floor and blushed. But she didn't struggle from his grasp.

His rough calloused fingertips felt the silk skin of her dimpled chin and then her cheek.

He whispered, "Leuke...for 'pale woman'"

She met his eyes squarely, but there was a trace of fear and resignation in her eyes that made her face look sorrowful. He never saw a face like hers. He was surprised himself because he thought he would never find a girl with the typical innocent look attractive. He was disgusted by his mentor's disturbing fixation with innocent girl heroines in tragedies and much preferred looking at taller women with more buxom charm and full lips and attitude. But there was something about the girl that added to her mystery of being found amidst the white poplar trees.

He uttered again, looking at her face, "Leuke..."

* * *

When Kakashi entered the hut despite Sasuke's protests, he stared fixed at the sight of a young woman lying on the bed. 'Leuke' went back to sleep soon after that brief, rather odd encounter with her savior.

Kakashi stared at the woman's pale, lovely face, then to her smooth hands that never experienced harsh labor. But his gaze shaken when he saw small reddish bruises on her pale neck.

When Sasuke tried to explain, he gave him no time and grabbed him by the collar and stormed out of the hut.

As soon as they were out of the door, Kakashi tried to suppress the anger in his voice, "Sasuke, are you mad?"

Sasuke was stunned. He never saw him get this furious. Kakashi was the only adult figure and protector he had in his life. He was always on the cool, aloof side. He never saw him lose his control of his emotions and raise his voice until now.

At first, he thought that Kakashi has mistaken him as the perpetrator. He felt rising anger at being an object of such dishonorable implication. When he tried to open his mouth to explain the circumstances, Kakashi beat him first by yelling,

"Do you even know what you just brought into this house?"

The shock in Sasuke's eyes lessened. He understood the reason Kakashi was so angry.

Refusing to cower, he glared back. But his voice was calm as he tried to reason with his guardian. "She was dying, Kakashi."

A fine vein pulsed on Kakashi's throat, "She is clearly a slave! And not just any slave, but a runaway slave!"

He rubbed his mouth roughly and continued to speak in an agitated voice, "Judging by her clothes and her appearances, she must have belonged to some blue blooded aristocrat. Do you know what happens to commoners who help runaway slaves?"

Sasuke grimaced. Even someone who lived an ostracized life as him knows what happens if slaves runaway from their masters. Especially if their masters have wealth and power. The slaves could be put to death in the most horrendous way to set as an example for other slaves. The masters could have their limbs tied to ropes connected to bulls, whip them until their backs are red, or starve them in a cellar for days.

If any commoner helps the slaves run away, they also couldn't escape such penalties. Helping a slave runaway was akin to theft, and those who stole lost their wrists.

As quick as Kakashi's temper fired up, he started to feel himself cooling down. In a lowered, agitated voice, he asked, "Sasuke...did you see the marks on her neck?"

Panic flared in his dark eyes. Remorse flitted across his sculpted features. How could he forget the reddish marks that looked like tiny red flowers on her neck? He even remembered the way she gasped and hid them with her long black hair, and the shame that appeared in her wet eyes.

Kakashi's voice came out as a whisper, "Sasuke, she might be a prostitute."

Sasuke's face darkened a little more. She looked barely sixteen, but for her to be a prostitute at such a young age. It was likely that she was sold as a child to the brothel by her parents or was a bastard child of some nobleman.

Kakashi shook his head sadly, "It is very sad, but there is nothing we could do. We can't put our lives out for charity."

When he tried to enter the hut, Sasuke blocked his way, "Kakashi, wait."

* * *

When Hinata opened her eyes, all kinds of thoughts rushed to her as she realized it was morning and daylight was pursuing her once again.

She hated the daylight and loved the night, because that was when she could just sleep and let the slumber just engulf her into forgetfulness.

When she rose from the bed made of fur hides, she started hearing sounds of talking outside the hut. The sounds got louder, and she realized that it was the sound of two men talking. It sounded as if they were arguing in low, murmuring voices.

She recognized the voice of one man, "I don't know where she came from. But even if I do, there is nothing I could do at this point."

"Sasuke-"

"Even if I do take her back, there is no guarantee that my life will be spared."

"But-"

"If you are certain that we will not be executed, you should go and take her."

After a pause, she heard the other man speaking through gritted teeth, "Fine. Do what you want. But Sasuke, remember what I told you. Your life is not your own." Even the man who opposed her staying was not sure if their lives could be spared.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps retreating.

She pulled the covers to her chest. Leuke, she remembered. The man who is talking outside with someone decided to call me Leuke. His name is Sasuke. A sense of fear surged in her heart, as she had no idea what the man's intentions might be. She was half delirious when she encountered him the first time. She didn't even remember what she said, whether she said anything. She just remembered someone with a low, husky voice telling her that from now on, she was to be called Leuke, "pale woman."

She surveyed the inside of the hut around her - simple furniture and clay dishware and a rug. Everything was humble, but necessary for survival. She supposed that this man wasn't married. No hint of children or another woman. The realization frightened her even more. This man might not be acting out of charity. Yes, she overheard the other man saying that they couldn't stake their lives upon charity.

When she turned her gaze back to the man, she started. The tall, dark haired man was staring at her. Sasuke, that was his name, she told herself.


	4. Chapter 4 Moonflower festival

GA/N: I do not own any part of Naruto. Very OOC Sasuke.

Please, please don't forget to review. I finally thought of the major plot!

* * *

Hinata thought that since she has worked as a priestess in the temple that she could know how to cook and clean in an ordinary house.

She knew how to collect herbs and categorize offerings based on the specific ancient criteria and value. She cleaned the marble floors and bathhouses twice a month.

But how wrong she was. She forgot that not every house has a mountain of offerings or dried incenses that need to be rearranged in jars.

Not every house has marble floors. She was in a mountain hut, and she wanted to repay her savior's kindness and prove that she wasn't useless.

'Maybe then, hopefully I could buy time enough to find a place to hide from ni-san...'

She told herself, 'if I prove myself useful, he won't need to send me the town council. Now, ni-san doesn't know that I escaped because he is on his overseas missions, but right now the palace court must be looking for me. I can't let them or ni-san find me."

But she had no idea as how to prove that she was worthy enough to share the hearth of this tall stranger.

She felt like a child lost in a crowd as she looked at the burnt meat that she tried to skin as best as possible despite the urge to hurl.

What was the use of public decorum in a forest full of wildlife? Why did she not have the useful skills that she would actually need?

Mortification made her face bright red, and she kept looking at the door lest the man named Sasuke comes in and sees the mess she created.

If he sees the mess, he might quickly change his mind full of heroism and gallantry and decide to give her up to the aristocrats who will in turn hand her over to their sovereign.

She shook her head quickly, no, she just can't let that happen. When she remembered Neji's cold silver grey eyes and the way they speculated on her...

She felt a shiver run down her spine. She still felt like she was being watched.

She picked the burnt meat and carefully went outside in a tiptoe. She then looked around for a good place to hide this awful proof that she wasn't so useful.

Then she finally found a mound of dirt that she thought would be perfect to hide her big mistake.

She crouched over the mound of dirt.

Then she heard a loud shout and felt a harsh yank on her arm that lifted her up, "What are you doing?"

Suddenly, she registered the smell of wild pines and warmth of a body and blushed profusely, "I...I"

The man named Sasuke looked down on her, shocked, "You can't bury that near the house. You'll be inviting wolves!"

"Oh-oh-" shocked at her own thoughtlessness that bordered on stupidity, she didn't even find the courage to make excuses or apologize.

The dark haired man threw a single glance on the burnt meat in her hand and then looked at her with his characteristically smoldering eyes.

He then snatched the burnt meat from her hands and walked into a deeper part of the forest that Hinata would never venture into, for fear of snakes.

When the man disappeared, she fell to the ground and covered her face in embarrassment. She was expecting a sharp berating remark but now that the man was silent, she was even more afraid.

'Should I run now?' she wondered. 'What if the man brings a group of soldiers?' When she pictured the scenario, the spears, the armor, she felt weak in her knees.

When Sasuke returned, he came back with a skinned hare instead. Hinata fought the urge to vomit when her eyes landed on the hare and tried to school her expression.

But when she saw the scowl on the handsome man's face, she realized that she failed miserably in acting nonchalant and blushed a bright red.

Thankfully for her, the man didn't say anything and sauntered into the hut where he proceeded to build a fire and start cooking the meat.

Hinata scooped underneath the narrow opening of the hut and meekly whispered, "I-I can...watch the fire."

Sasuke threw a glance over his shoulder and his eyebrow arched in question.

With the burnt meat hovering in her mind, bemoaning its fate, Hinata blushed profusely, "I-I made a deep mistake. I-I'm very sorry-"

"The stutter-" she heard a low baritone. She started. The root of her insecurity. He noticed it. Would he find it so annoying that he will take her to the town courts?

But what he said next was unexpected, "Did you develop it when you became a slave?"

Her eyes widened. The man, who looked so cold at the beginning, sounded caring, even concerned. And...did he just ask her if she was a slave?

When she became speechless, Sasuke added quickly, looking surprisingly embarrassed "Aren't you a slave?"

When his dark eyes landed on her wrists, Hinata blushed and then realized why this man would assume she was a run away slave.

"At first, your clothes and mannerisms made me think you were a lady, but..." surprisingly, bright red tinted his ears "I didn't mean to, but I saw the bruises on your body," he rubbed his mouth roughly in awkwardness, "and why would an aristocratic lady wander in the forests?"

Hearing his reasoning, Hinata had to agree. She also flushed a deep red. She looked at the man. His embarrassment made him look even more youthful and attractive. He looked even more handsome, being shy.

When she stared, he added quickly, "Don't worry. I won't turn you over just because you're a slave."

He then looked at her with compassion, "You must have never gotten a chance to know your parents. Me too. I've never known them."

At such rare show of kindness, Hinata suddenly felt something hot rise in her throat. She said "I-"

But then her judgment silenced her. Isn't it better that this naive man thinks that she was a slave, groomed to be an aristocrat's play thing? She also has her baby to think about.

When he saw her wet eyes, he suddenly withdrew his radiant smile. But he wasn't cold. Instead, he turned to the fire quickly, "The meat is ready." He said curtly.

Then they scooped down on the dirt floor and started helping themselves to the juicy, succulent meat. When Sasuke gave her a piece, her fingers trembled at first.

Then Hinata quickly helped herself to the meat that wasn't even salted or peppered or coated with olive oil. She ventured in the woods for so long and helped herself to berries and wild roots. She wasn't going to be picky.

While she was eating, she saw a bowl full of meat in the periphery of her sight. When she looked, she saw Sasuke handing her the bowl.

He gave her a serious look, "Did they not feed you well?" His brows knitted in a frown and he urged her to take the meat he offered.

Hinata blushed. She must have been eating ravenously without care for the man to offer her more with such look of worry.

"N-no," she blundered like a fool, "I-I was never starved." She felt her stuttering grow worse because of mortification.

Holding a bone, she said with a sense of melancholy, "He...never starved me." In fact, she was very well fed. The royal cooks were very skilled and she got to consume meat like fat goose and hog almost daily, a luxury that only came recently before she escaped.

She even remembered what Neji said right before he left for his missions. _With his beautiful arm wrapped around her naked waist as she lay panting and red, he said something very strange in her ear._

_"Princess..."_

_When she turned, she saw his eyelids half closed, as he surveyed a piece of her dark hair. _

_"I need you to be well-fed while I'm gone."_

_When she looked surprised, he said in a way that sent tingles down her thighs and arms._

_"Hinata..." _

_Then he suddenly caught her in a hard embrace. _

_"If you are with child..." _

_But what shocked her more was his following words. _

_"That child will be king." _

She wondered. Neji hated her, yet he wanted there to be a child and not just that he desired the child to be king. She lowered her head and thought. Before, she was certain that he only wanted to use her and the child for his revenge. She told herself that it was still true. Neji swore himself as her enemy and wanted to torment her. It did not have to be said outloud that the reason he wanted the child to be king was not out of any paternal love but to abuse and exploit the child like Hiashi. She bit her bottom lip. Neji was a heartless man. But she could not ignore the small whisper of doubt in the back of her mind. Maybe, just maybe the cold cruel man harbored some kind of adoration for his offspring other than as a political progeny to be ruthlessly trained and deployed?

Her hands smoothed over her still flat belly as she ruminated over the chances that Neji might have responded favorably to the news of his child. But she quickly squashed that hope, chastising herself for dreaming once again of happiness and love.

When she looked at the man, Sasuke she started. He suddenly wore such a look of hostility that she never anticipated. She worried if she accidentally offended him by the look on her face, the furrow buried into her brows.

"I-"

"That man who hurt you-" he said sternly, "is barely a man."

Having said that, he resumed his meal. She wondered if Sasuke was imagining Neji as an old, heinous man with shriveling limbs or a large, bearlike brute.

* * *

Time flew much more quickly than Hinata expected. Days past in the forest, and she had no idea if it was a week, two weeks, maybe a month.

Sasuke turned out to be a quiet man. A self-sufficient man, he turned out to be, Hinata found. When he became impatient with her clumsiness, his face turned frigid like the northern wind god's, but he never raised his voice or even let out a sigh of frustration.

Thanks to his patience, Hinata became better quickly at roasting meat and collecting wild herbs for side dishes. Thanks to her experience working as a priestess, she had some background knowledge in roasting (burning offerings) and processing dried and fresh herbs for apothecary.

When she was done with her chores, she would sometimes climb up to the highest peak in the mountain and watch the direction of the capital city.

If there was a rising smoke in the city, it meant that the king was either in danger or alerting his people of a dire emergency.

When she checked that there was no smoke, she let out a big sigh of relief and went down to Sasuke's hut that was buried deep in the forests.

But the person she saw in front of his hut made her heart stop.

Tall, with grey hair. It must be the man Kakashi.

She saw Sasuke raising his voice at Kakashi who later signaled that he didn't want to fight any longer and turned away.

Before he left, Kakashi shot a shockingly hostile glare at Hinata who automatically flinched. Her hand automatically rose to cover her stomach as if she was shielding her child.

When she turned to the hut again, she saw Sasuke seething red. But when he saw Hinata, Sasuke's face automatically brightened-or at least lost some of the simmering fury.

"Leuke-"

Hinata tucked the straw basket of wild vegetables under her arm awkwardly, "Shouldn't you go after your friend?"

She at first thought that Sasuke was just a very patient man, but when she saw him raising his voice at Kakashi, she wondered if she was mistaken.

Sasuke looked down at her and then rubbed the back of his dark spiky hair in frustration.

Then he suddenly grabbed her hand. The impact caused her to drop her basket and try to catch up with his brisk pace.

When he walked briskly down the mountain, skillfully treading on the jagged rocks and past the weeds and bark, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"You haven't let this area for quite a while," he answered brusquely.

Touched by his concern, Hinata blushed, "I-I'm okay..."

"Stop being like a squirrel," he glanced back at her and then kept walking.

Hinata's gratitude quickly turned into slight indignation, "A squirrel?"

"You even look like one."

"I-I don't!"

When he didn't even respond, she spoke quickly, "I-I'm not that small!"

"You are."

"I'm not! You're just big!"

"Hm?"

He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. He quickly towered over her.

Soon Hinata's heart almost stopped. 'Did I offend him?'

But the tall, dark and handsome man was quiet for a second.

Then he blurted out,

"Beady eyes."

Hinata turned red and was speechless, "I-I-" Did that man just tease about her eyes?

Hinata might have been meek and treated as a useless weakling by her father, but it was always only by her father-the most supreme being in the kingdom.

Her eyes were sign of her royal birthright, so she was never, ever referred to, let alone teased, about her eyes!

Then they kept walking down. Hinata didn't know how time flied,

"Th-that's" she wondered what to say and finished lamely, "unkind..."

But the big hand holding hers was warm.

He didn't forget to say, "You eat the portion, too."

When Hinata tried to retort, that it's him who eats like a bear, suddenly the forests cleared up and she saw the bustling village.

When she saw the bright white flowers, the breezy robes, and the games the people were playing, her eyes glittered. She even saw a group of people dressed as a chimera! Music, the sound of lyres and harps, was in the air.

"The moonflower festival!" she exclaimed.

When Sasuke looked down at her, she blushed as she felt his gaze. She felt a tug on her hand. He asked, "Do you want to look around?"

The music and the intoxicating smell of chick pea and pepper sauces and grilling meat already stole her senses.

When he saw that Hinata wasn't even listening, he muffled the urge to laugh.

...

Hinata saw so many things in the moonflower festival she never imagined in the palace. Sasuke got her a cloak to cover her head at her request to hide her face.

As always, he never questioned why she was obsessed with hiding from public.

Despite Hinata's protests, he got some of his spare wages he got from selling hide and got her pieces of chicken breast stuck on a stick and marinated with chickpea sauce.

"Bu-but we could always eat at home..."

Sasuke looked down at her apologetic face, "Who said it's just for you?"

Then he took a bite of her chicken. He casually wiped the white sauce around his mouth with the back of his hand and held her hand.

...

By the time she finished with the chicken, they happened to see a game where two men wrestled on a sand pit and tried to take a colorful sash that was tied around each other's waist. They were berefit of their tops, with their tan muscles glistened under the sun, reflected by the sand particles.

The crowds cheered when a young man with brown hair toppled his opponent and unceremoniously slung him over the san. Then the former snatched the green sash off his opponent's and raised both of his arms in victory. At the victor's roar, the crowd, especially the women cheered. Hinata couldn't take her eyes off such scene of raw energy and bravado. She has only seen aristocrats battle with their prized animals or slaves.

She didn't have the ability to see the look on Sasuke's face because she was so busy admiring the fight.

The victor took the green sash and circled around the sand ring. Hinata especially heard the great screams of women.

Hinata wondered, 'why were the women so excited? Throwing flowers at his feet?'

When the man almost passed by Hinata, he saw Sasuke and then looked down to see Hinata by his side.

Before she quickly covered her face, she saw the man make a warm, congenial smile and extend the dark green sash to her.

Hinata wondered in curiosity, 'Am I supposed to take it? But why?'

Then suddenly she saw a strong arm shoot forward towards the man, and she looked up to see Sasuke catching the wrist of the victor in a grip.

Sasuke's onyx eyes blazed as he locked his gaze with the victor's. The victor, who just overthrew a 200 pound opponent, also looked surprised and taken aback.

She looked at how furious Sasuke was, as his lips barely parted in quiet rage, "Sasuke..."

When she felt everyone's attention on them, she hurriedly covered her face in her cloak.

The judge looked at the two and then raised his hand, "It's a challenge!"

At the judge's signal, Sasuke walked into the golden sand ring without any hesitation.

Looking at the victor's size and smug look of confidence, Hinata gasped and tried to stop him but Sasu carefully pried her hand away.

Under the golden sun, Sasuke grabbed the edge of his upper tunic and slid it off his torso. The judge tied a bright red ash around his waist like the victor's belt.

At the sight of his chiseled ribs, abs, and wide marble shoulders, Hinata tried to hide the redness of her face with her cloak and the crowds cheered.

The victor smirked and also stepped into the ring. Now that he has taken off his top, Sasuke looked relatively calmer and poised.

The judge raised his hand. Silence fell on the crowds. The crowd became even bigger at the news that the village's most handsome youth challenged the most experienced wrestler of the prefect.

When Hinata saw the victor's head tower over Sasuke's and breadth of shoulder double his, she felt her heart beating in agitation.

Then the judge put down his hand, and the victor then idly tread in a circle. Then she saw the victor lunge towards Sasuke's back.

Hinata grabbed her cloak close to her chest and cried out, "Sasuke!" She almost took a step into the sand ring.

But then her eyes widened.

Sasuke side stepped, causing the man to lunge forth. When the agile man tried to whirl and grabbed both Sasuke's shoulder and band waist, Sasuke grabbed his opponent's belt by both sides and slammed his back on the sand pit. The golden sand spurted around them

The crowd emitted a loud cry. When the sand cleared and fell to the ground, everyone speculated wildly about the outcome.

What Hinata saw was Sasuke struggling to take off the victor's purple sash, and the victor struggling to push Sasuke off him.

The spectating women, including Hinata herself, blushed at the coincidental suggestiveness of the two bodies writhing against each other.

Finally, Sasuke rose with the purple sash that he raised triumphantly over his head. The crowds cheered, and a chill ran down Hinata's spine.

His shoulders rose up and down as he breathed heavily, and the victor rose and kicked the sand and walked out of the ring.

When the crowd kept cheering, celebrating the overthrow of the seasoned wrestler in face of the new one, Sasuke walked up to Hinata.

Then he extended the purple sash to Hinata's surprised face.

When Hinata's eyes shot up to him, Sasuke kept looking down at her, locking his dark eyes with hers. His bare shoulders and torso rose and fell roughly.

Hinata took the purple sash with both hands.

Then she buried her face into the purple.

* * *

That night, Sasuke heard a low, trailing groan. It was a series of short groans that complained of deep pain.

Wondering what it was, he rose from his deep sleep and took his dagger.

The first thing he checked was Leuke's bed. His blood ran cold when he saw that she was the one making those sounds.

"Leuke," he stood up and ran over to her bed "what's wrong?"

"My...my..stomach..." Tears formed in her light lavender eyes. Sweat was beading her temple, plastering her dark indigo hair that looked even bluer.

She gripped her stomach as if she felt a dull ache in the pit.

Sasuke bit his bottom lip and raised her bed cover. He was planning to take her to the village healer.

He cursed roughly at the sight. Red blood was saturating her dress.

He tried to bring cool reason back to his head and lifted her skirt.

When he saw the amount of blood between her legs, color came back to his face.

"It's okay," when she rested her face on his neck and sobbed quietly, Sasuke comforted her gently, rubbing her back. As a hunter, he watched female hunting dogs bleed a lot more if they lose their pups. She didn't get a miscarriage. She never had a seed of life in her. "You didn't lose a child."

At his words, she blinked her lovely wet eyes, "...child?"

Sasuke watched her face slowly sink into despair, "I...never..." When he saw the look of despair in her face, he bit his bottom lip. He just realized. She must have been expecting a child. The bastard's child.

At the sight of such sorrow, he felt his heart churn in pain. But he felt he needed to remind her of what was true, "No...you never had a child at the first place."

"Oh," she tried to hide her face in her hands. Dark hair fell across her face, "I'm glad. I'm so relieved. I'm glad."

But despite her claims to be relieved, to be happy, her shoulders shivered ever so slightly. She couldn't fool his eyes.

"Leuke" he said firmly.

"I'm-"

He silenced her in his embrace. Her breath was knocked off her as he pressed her front flush to his chest.

He wasn't good with words. So, instead he held her and his palm made gentle circles on her back.

She wept in his chest. Sasuke asked, with rare sadness in his deep voice "Why are you crying? You should be glad you're not pregnant by your master."

At his words, she shook her head, "I-I don't know..."

As his fingers intertwined with her hair, she said, "I don't know why...He was cruel. He was so cruel to me but..."

She trailed and he felt something ominous in her inability to complete what she was saying.

What she said next almost stopped his heart, "maybe I...wanted...his child."

When she was about to finish her next words, "Maybe I-" She relaxed her grip on his tunic. He felt that she was about to pull away.

"Stop."

He squeezed her tight, and she suddenly lost her words.

"Don't." He said. He asked her not to continue with the unspoken "please." He begged her to not finish what she was about to say. If she was to say that she fell for that damned aristocrat who hurt her, he wouldn't know what to do.

That night, she fell asleep in his arms.

* * *

A few days past since the event. Hinata was in the hut's kitchen, seasoning the wild lettuce she found in the forests.

By the time, Sasuke came in, she looked up to the door with wide eyes, "Sasuke, where were you?" Her long hair was tied with the purple sash. She straightened up and approached him with familiarity. She didn't act in fear or wariness like an alert bunny anymore.

"Here."

Suddenly her face was covered with golden freesias. Her hands were at lost in the air at first.

Then she carefully received the flowers and touched the petals. Then she closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet heady scent.

While she was enjoying the flowers, she heard Sasuke calling her, "Leuke."

When she tried to lift her face to thank him, he closed the distance between them.

When she felt the mix of warmth and fragrance, she heard his warm, low voice. He slightly bowed his head, and his black hair rested on her dark indigo crown.

His words came out as a half-whisper. "Marry me."

Her light lavender eyes shot up to him.

"Sasuke?" She looked up to him in question. Her lips trembled, "why...why?"

Sasuke's pale face stiffened and his eyes clouded with disappointment. Hinata could tell that he was feeling a keen sense of rejection even though he struggled to hide it. Her heart ached as she saw that she caused pain. Especially to her lovely benefactor to whom she owes her live.

She looked down at her poor yellow flowers that she grabbed so hard to her chest that they wilted. Her face showed agitation, "But... I can't cook...I can't sew..."

"You are learning," he said.

She bowed her head even lower, "I'm...a runaway slave...You can't take me to the marketplace without me hiding my face. You won't receive any dowery."

"I don't care."

Tears welled in her eyes. "Bu-but...what about Kakashi?"

Sasuke made a sour grin and scratched the back of his neck, "He'll be mad, but he'll get around."

Hinata doubted that the tall grey haired man will condone this marriage.

When she was still silent, Sasuke glanced at her uneasily.

He asked, "is it because...I can't afford the lifestyle you had?"

"No!" Hinata didn't raise her voice often but this time she just had to. Sasuke started.

She furiously shook her head.

"It's...it's not because of that." Her eyes looked at him in heartbroken concern lest she hurt him.

"Then..."

"I-I..." Hinata blushed, "even told you that I wanted the child of the person who hurt me..."

She didn't have the courage to glance at him, "don't I disgust you?"

"No." Obsidian eyes gazed down at her, as he told her what she guessed was supposed to be a private secret for the reserved man, "I was an orphan all my life. I always wanted a mother. But I knew I was probably abandoned."

He held her arms and pulled her close to him. Surprised, she looked up at him.

"If you could cry for the child you got by the man who hurt you..."

Hinata's breath hitched to her throat. His smile reached his dark irises that shone like black jewels. He looked unearthly but gentle. His lips parted to show the warmest smile she has ever seen in his face yet. There was a glow in his radiant face.

His eyes gazed down at her warmly, "You are definitely not disgusting."

Hinata's eyes welled up with tears again. A tear fell across her cheek, and Sasuke sighed, "Leuke, I didn't mean for you to cry like this."

As he held her tight, he whispered into her ear, "So..." his warm breath tickled her ear, "marry me, okay?"

When she sniffled and finally nodded, he hugged her around her neck because of his taller height and buried her face to his chest.

She could hear his heart beat rapidly—the thundrous pounding echoing in her ear.

She remembered the first time she was proposed to—it was by Naruto who claimed that he loved her, who was much more fiery and eloquent, passionate and gallant in his speech, who held her hand.

But why did she feel so much more at the face of Sasuke's calmer speech? At his simple plain words? Why did her heart swell in emotions she never felt before? Why was she so happy?

Sasuke kept holding her close.

That afternoon, they decided to have a little wedding.


	5. Chapter 5 Man and Wife

A/N: omg 14 reviews in 24 hours?(surprised hamster face) You guys are the best! (Big hugs)

Just a few things to clear out before we go on.

I was reading my reviewers' comments, and I was surprised to see a bunch of them assuming that "Priestess" was going to have a Neji/Hinata ending. I looked back at Ch.1 where I said it was going to be a Neji/Hinata story. I realized that my effort to warn people who might have a completely justified aversion of incest came off as spoiling the story. For that, my sincerest apologies. As much as I love Neji/Hinata, I would feel really upset at some people who call it a disgusting incestuous fetish. I wanted to keep that at bay as much as possible.

But "The Priestess" has an ending that only I am privy to, so please don't think that I gave off the ending as a specific pairing yet.

I also add 2k word to ch. 2, so if you would like to look, please check it out.

I have been feeling blue and I am not happy with this chapter, but here it is. Why am I so inept and bad at writing smuts and emotional scenes. Thank you for reading, and extra thanks for reviews.

* * *

After the fall of the great empire Etruscus that subjugated the western nations of Earth and Wind and ruled across the southern deserts and land of Fire, the world that the people have known for centuries became divided.

The empire tore up into Cretes, Ionia, Boetia, Namikaze, Thebes, Sparta, Troy, Mycenae, and the Amazons, and other small territories that were ruled by their monarchs.

Hinata's father and Neji's father, Hiashi and Hizashi were heirs to the founder Hirama who succeeded in conquering the fertile island continent of the once great Etruscus. Hirama and his predecessors led decades of war to conquer the vast wheat fields and multiple thousands of farming and fishing peasants.

Besides being known as the Cretan goddess Kaguya's lover, Hirama had no bloodline or pedigree on which to base his origins and stake to rule his kingdom. The mysterious origins of their father Hirama became the bane of both Hiashi and Hizashi's existence, sprouting unwanted rumors that questioned the twin rulers' divine authority to rule. The twins' insecurities soon caused them to become obsessed with going on wars in overseas expeditions, pillaging neighboring countries without respite. Hizashi was the cold blooded warrior, and Hiashi was the clever strategist.

When Hizashi died tragically, it was king Hiashi who took his nephew under his wing and made him his apprentice war strategist and politician after the young boy proved his worth in his uncle's war campaigns.

Despite his equally intense obsession to sire a male heir, Hiashi died without one, and his eldest daughter abdicated the throne.

And that was how Neji became king who carried on the tradition of conquest.

* * *

On the royal fleet that returned to Cretes, the king rested himself on the edge of the ship, gazing at the direction of the island.

Next to him was his swordsman who followed him like a shadow.

The swordsman glanced at his king's face that resembled a marble sculpture. The soft spring breeze that blew across from the sea played softly with his long hair. His face that exuded an aura of cold ruthlessness looked even more formidable due to the long arduous crusade overseas. The long difficult times beyond the seas made him as sharp and unapproachable as a knife. His long hair that hasn't been combed as he was in the palace swept across his high ridged nose and marble forehead. He looked wild and unkept, dangerous and decadent. His pale marble skin that illuminated under the sun further emphasized his classically handsome face.

The swordsman wondered. He worshiped the man who was sitting on the edge of the ship, whom he served with his life, but how could the gods allow such unfairness? For such a militarily gifted man to not only be king, and on top of that, to be blessed with such looks? Life could be so unfair, and the gods definitely have favorites.

The fleet's musician appeared with a wooden trey with a flask and gold goblet and tentatively asked the king with a bowed head, "Would you like some wine, my king?"

The king shook his head, the black silk tassel of his band that covered his forehead swayed. Then he looked at the musician with a piercing gaze with his rare silver eyes, "Play for the men. You could be as loud as they want. Get them wine. I need to be back soon."

The musician quickly bowed his head deferentially before efficiently backing away. The fleet was soon filled with music, and the fleet gained speed.

His swordsman smiled at the boost of the rowers' morals, "My king, you are in a good mood."

At his swordsman's observation, Neji closed his eyes, "Every man wants his rest."

When he said the word "rest," his pale silver eyes gazed at the direction of Cretes. He gripped on what he has been holding the whole time during the sail.

The swordsman raised his eyebrows when he saw what was in Neji's left hand. It was a gold pin of a flying bird, crafted through the finest Cretan filigree.

* * *

Sounds of clamoring armor rang, reflected by the towering marble pillars of the great temple.

Neji strode quickly across the marble court of the grand temple of Kaguya. The tall, handsome soldier with long autumn hair and clad in silver armor briskly walked past the blinding, white marble pillars of one of the nine kingdoms' greatest wonders. The wind that blew into the temple stuck his hair across his chiseled jawline. All who beheld the man couldn't believe that such a man was their king. He was their hero.

As he studied the faces of the nearby priestesses, his face visibly hardened. As he turned to look for her, his long brown hair that grew down to his waist swayed. There was just simply no way for her to neglect her duties without a debilitating reason. _Was she ill? _

Then he thought he heard her laughter that sounded like a silver chime. He should have known that it was some crazy illusion, because it has been forever since he heard her laugh, but he turned around anyway. _Neji nisan__-_he thought he heard her soft, airy voice call him from behind. But when he quickly turned, she wasn't there.

Suddenly, unknown fear gripped his chest and he left the temple, his face stiff and pale. Cold sweat formed in his brow and his hands felt clammy.

He looked around as if he was possessed, as he searched for the one face he thought of when he was in the battlefield. _Where was she?_

Without caring about his reputation, he called for her as he wandered in the gardens, "Hinata!"

He knew that he was likely to find her in her private chamber, but he felt instinctively unsettled.

Once he raced to her private chamber, he ran up to her bed and withdrew the opaque veil. For a moment, he stared down at the empty bed.

For a moment, he kept his muted stare at the bed. Then his silver grey eyes slowly dilated, and his entire body stiffened.

He placed his knee on the bed and studied the mattress. He lifted the bedsheet and saw that a part of the fabric was missing. It seemed that someone cut off a piece of the bedsheet with a small knife.

"My...my lord," the chief guard was soaked in sweat as he bowed over the floor.

At his words, Neji slowly turned around and looked down at the guard who shivered as he didn't dare to look at his face.

Neji's pale irises stared down at the shivering guard who felt a chill inside his chest at the king's unfathomable, disinterested expression. He might as well stare down at a bug crawling on the dirt.

When the guard couldn't say anything, the air around them grew cold with the pent up tension that slowly escalated. But on surface, Neji was quiet as the lake.

Neji slowly walked up to Hinata's desk. It was a wide oak desk where Hinata used to work. He brushed the wooden surface with his fingers. At first his fingers skimmed the surface as if he was looking for some clue to her disappearance. Then he found a piece of rolled papyrus. He unfurled the piece and saw a shaky yet distinctly elegant penmanship in indigo blue ink. It was written:

_Your majesty,_

_I decided that I was of no longer use to the temple or your services._

_I take my leave. Best wishes to my king. Please do not search for me._

_Hinata_

Neji crumbled the delicate piece of papyrus with so much force that the swordsman winced. Deep shadows etched across Neji's features as he ominously stared into the air while gripping the destroyed paper in his hands.

He strode towards the chief guard who blubbered, "we tr-tried to search for her, but she was nowhere to be found, our king!"

When he saw that his lord was still immobilized, the swordsman asked quietly, "For how long has she been missing?"

"It has been...two weeks."

In a flash, Neji grabbed the chief guard's shoulder and hoisted him to his footing. His cold pale glare burned through his six foot guard's face turned ashen pale like a field mouse in front of a snake. He could barely breath at the sheer rage that emerged in his lord's face.

The chief guard gagged and shuddered under his grip. Before he tried to beg for mercy, Neji snapped his throat to the left, severing his lifeline with a quick shift of his hands.

The corpse dropped with a thud to the ground without shedding any blood on the floor.

Neji twisted his wrist as if he has just completed the most mundane task and commanded, "Interrogate the maids, guards, and the priestesses that were supposed to watch over her."

When Neji finally summoned his words, his followers sighed in relief, "Yes, your majesty." Interrogation entailed far more sinister procedures but the followers were seasoned veterans in war and torture.

Two of the armed soldiers quickly approached the corpse, and Neji acted nonchalantly as his men obediently dragged out the man he just killed out of the palace quarters.

The new king was much more reasonable than his bloodthirsty and tyrannic predecessor Hiashi, but if there was one rule he kept clear, it was to never mention the dead or it will be the man's head. They knew that his mercy was more of a strategy to wield the carrot and stick than out of benevolence, but they would rather have a pragmatic, level headed, slightly cruel ruler than a sniveling horse as their master.

Assuming his carefully curated facade, Neji strode from Hinata's bed chamber and walked outside, where his army and horses were ready.

When he approached his favorite horse, Helios,he grabbed his reins with slightly more force, but the well-trained stallion only slightly whinnied and obediently maintained its station.

"You need not follow me, " Mounted on his white stallion, Neji commanded his followers and the swordsman in a clipped tone, "I will find her with the palace infantry. You are tired from war."

But despite the warm sentiment of his words, Neji's face was frigid like an ice berg and communicated that he would greatly abhor any hindrance.

The swordsman knew how to see glimpses of his lord's emotions and already saw the papyrus crumbled in his hand that tightly gripped his rein.

When the followers stood puzzled and wondered how to convey to their lord that they wished to follow, Neji turned and his horse Helios galloped, rising a smoke of dust behind. The palace infantry composed of six trusted soldiers on foot also galloped in trail with the king.

When the king was gone, one of his followers nudged the swordsman, "What just happened with the king?"

"Hinata sama," the swordsman scratched the back of his head and sighed.

The rest of the generals turned pale. The general who just nudged him bit his bottom lip, "Is...do you think she...she's possibly dead?"

They all held a degree of worry for Hinata's safety. First of all, they were well aware that their sovereign was strangely absorbed with the banished princess's well being and reputation. Somehow, their lord lost his equilibrium when she was involved.

They all hosted a terrible hatred of her cruel, tyrannic father, but they had to admit that it was due to her sacrifice that Cretes entered a golden age without civil strife.

But her motives were questioned. Not all believed that her actions were out of altruism or a heart of sacrificial kindness for the people. However, even if she did that out of a self-serving motive to preserve her life from an insurrection, they all felt somewhat indebted to her.

Some generals, including the swordsman, harbored some pity for the rightful heir of Cretes for giving up her throne to their current lord and becoming a priestess. To be a priestess was to live of a life of sacrificial piety and solitude forever, in the name of the goddess.

One of them whispered, "the king won't take it well, if she is found dead in the woods."

A bald general urged them all to head back to their own homes. But the conversation went on. "It's better to hope that she is alive somewhere."

There was the possibility that she might be kidnapped by bandits. Worse would be pirates, because it is harder to track them in sea.

One of the younger generals asked,

"Why is the king so consumed with the disowned princess's well being?"

A general who looked like a mercenary made a rather sentimental conjecture, "They have been brought up together, so...they must be like brothers and sisters. The king doesn't have any blood relative left."

But then every general knew that Neji was quite aloof from the admirable Hanabi, the exiled princess of Cretes who was now ruling a sector of the Amazons.

There was no calculated output that could come out of coddling a disowned princess who was now a priestess of Kaguya.

"It would have been better if Hanabi sama stayed instead. She would've been a great asset to the militia."

At his comrade's words, a general with a long pony tail scoffed. Everyone stopped and turned to see the swordsman, "Do you all truly think that Hinata sama is just a poor damsel in distress, a pitiful exiled princess?"

The rest listened to him inquisitively.

"I would argue that in fact," the general with a pony tail crossed his arms, "Hinata sama is the archetypal royal woman, even more than her sister. Women of the palace have never been naive or innocent. Behind their pretty faces, they know how to play politics."

When his comrades still looked doubtful but intrigued, he continued, "When her sister was yet a child, Hinata sama came to our lord and persuaded him to lead the rebellion against Menelaum. She was barely eighteen! If she was truly just a pampered princess, she would never risk her life doing that on her own. But it turned out that after all, she was Hiashi's daughter."

A general who has been silent all along uttered, "And the timing was much too opportune for Hinata sama and Neji sama. You know of the rumor that circulated until the king himself intervened."

"What rumor?" the youngest general asked with widened eyes. The swordsman tried to prevent the general from opening his mouth but failed.

"That...Hinata sama...was involved in the prior king's death."

Suddenly, a cold tension resounded through the group of the king's most trusted soldiers.

Indeed, a rumor buzzed that the innocent looking princess was involved in her father Hiashi's murder and handed the crown to the beautiful hero, her cousin with bloodied hands.

But the swordsman uttered coldly, "It is an unfounded nonsense that is nothing more than idle gossip. Hinata sama had nothing to do with king Hiashi's death. He had fallen depraved due to the desire for immortality and a male heir. He called for his own downfall."

A general with navy hair said, "But it was rather cold and cowardly of her to judge her father as a lost cause and stick to our lord like a wasp as soon as he died."

The navy haired general has lost his subordinate who tried to drag Hinata out of the palace quarters. He did not have any pity for her. In his opinion, she had led a life of a princess and was able to secure her life through Neji's mercy.

The swordsman said quietly, "But that doesn't mean that Hinata sama murdered her own father."

The youngest general said, "She sounds really different from what she looked! She looked like she could barely hurt a fly."

"The king knows that too. Of Hinata sama's duplicity." The navy haired general said in a defining air, "So he is sure she is alive."

* * *

The red light of dawn illuminated his glaring silver eyes as the wind swept his hair across his symmetrical face. Neji stood over the cliff that overlooked the vast forest lands. He maintained a tight grip on his rein over Helios who snorted in the aftermath of the consuming race. His men scattered across the trees and plains, searching for the missing priestess.

Neji's eyes scanned the greenery.

His hand held onto the papyrus and a golden cloth pin shaped like a flying finch spreading its wings. It was the golden cloth pin that Hinata gave him with shyly extended hands when she was eleven, when her hair was still in a bowl-cut. She trembled as she closed her eyes, _T-th-hank you for helping me with my h-homework, ni-san._ She slightly looked to the side and an indecent red color suffused all over her cheeks. Her pale shoulders shook as she handed him the golden finch pin with both hands. But instead of receiving the pin, he turned around and ignored her, secretly gloating at how despondent she looked as she stood rooted in the garden, her eyes gazing down at the rejected gift. However, he remembered how his twelve year old self soon regretted his previous immaturity when she no longer pressed him to receive it. As ridiculous as it sounded, he felt a sense of keen rejection when she no longer followed him around, asking him like she used to. Instead, she quietly left the gift when he wasn't looking. When he came back from his water break, he saw the golden finch gleaming next to his training sword. He told himself that his sword looked nice with the little accessory. So he tied the golden finch pin with a brown leather noose that wrapped around his sword's hilt.

Neji gripped on the small golden bird, if he was keeping it from flying away. _I know you are out there somewhere._ He faintly whispered as his eyes pierced the forestry.

He thought of her dark indigo hair that swayed as she turned to look at him. Whether she was reading scrolls by the candlelight or burning incense. Or folding pure white laundry by the soft, cozy rays of the sun.

Then he thought of her opal eyes that shone myriads of colors in different lights. _She would smile, "Your majesty." _

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew across Neji's face and he scowled as the dust made him squint and tears formed in his eyes.

_When he was a young child, he met Hinata for the first time. At first, she recoiled as she gripped on her father's robe and hid half of her face. But when she saw his smile, her fingers relaxed and she smiled back. Her shy demeanor melted away into sweetness when she materialized from behind her father, the crown prince Hiashi._

_Then, oblivious of their blood connections and what it entailed, he whispered to his father"She's cute, father."_

_His father Hizashi didn't say anything but maintained a grim expression. But when the crown prince left with his daughter, Hizashi told his young son, "Don't be too attached to Hinata sama, Neji."_

_Neji asked, "Why, father?" Hizashi made a bitter smile at his son's innocence. _

_"Because," Hizashi said in a matter-of-fact tone, "she was never meant to stay."_

_When she became eleven years old, that was when Neji understood what it meant that Hinata was "never meant to stay."_

_Because that was when Hinata was bombarded with other country's proposals for her hand in marriage._

_That was when Neji finally understood-he and Hinata were different, meant for different destinies, from birth. She was destined to be queen of some foreign country. He was forbidden to leave and destined to remain alone. She would be doing the same things she did in Cretes-reading scrolls, burning incense, brewing tea, doing laundry. While he would stay in a land where everywhere he could see what remains of her. _

_The day he realized that simple truth was the day he was enrolled in the military of Cretes-at the age of twelve._

Shadow cast over Neji's face as his lips curved into a sardonic smirk. The brand on his forehead that he concealed with his imperial army's band throbbed. He gripped the golden finch pin in his hand and turned around from the vantage point, Helios trotting next to him.

He told himself. She will be okay. For it to be otherwise was too much to even imagine. And he will find her.

Even if that means he has to find traces of her in the woods where the topography is irregular and haphazard and tree roots protrude here and there. Even in the bottom of the stream, he will look for her.

* * *

"Are you saying the truth, Kakashi?"

Sasuke looked at him in awe but also with some suspicion. Hinata almost couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Kakashi just folded his arms and repeated, "I will oversee the ritual."

Sasuke and Hinata were both quite surprised when Kakashi offered to be the overseer of the marriage. They looked at each other and then looked at Kakashi.

"But how will we know if you will perform your role faithfully?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata wondered if it was a good idea to question Kakashi. But she had to agree, Sasuke had a point. If Kakashi purposely misguided them in the ritual or got rid of the official document that sealed their marriage, their union was nullified.

Kakashi shrugged, "Then, go ahead and look for a priest that will accept a runaway slave in his shrine. With her eyes, it would be interesting if someone recognizes her and brings her to court."

Hinata flinched at Kakashi's glare. Sasuke's lips parted in a snarl, and Kakashi crossed his arms.

When Sasuke was about to give Kakashi a word for his attitude, Hinata grabbed his arm, "Sasuke, wait."

She tugged on his arm and asked him to talk with her in privacy. Sasuke was at first surprised, but relented easily. They stood by the opening of Sasuke's hut.

Hinata asked, "Are you sure...he is able? Overseeing a ritual...is quite complicated."

Sasuke glanced at Kakashi. He then looked at Hinata, "Kakashi knows a lot of things. He's the one who taught me how to read and write, or else I would have been illiterate. But it also surprises me. I never knew he could arrange a marriage ritual."

"If we can't...go to the temple," Hinata's brows knitted, "he-he could be our only...option."

After a serious discussion, both Sasuke and Hinata decided that it was best that they arrange their marriage as secretively as possible. The proper procedure would be to visit the temple of Kaguya and have a priest or priestess seal their marriage. But because of the difficulty to travel and expenses, many people of Cretes who couldn't afford going to the capital were married at regional shrines and local temples.

She persuaded Sasuke, "If Kakashi san is unable to sanctify our vow, we could try one of the more remote shrines in the mountains that serve Kaguya."

In a calm voice, she told him, "For now, Kakashi san is right. We don't have much choice."

When Sasuke's eyes widened and he looked at her surprised, Hinata blushed. She pursed her lips and glanced sideways, "I-it's...a terrible trouble to go through, right? Ma-marrying a runaway..."

Thinking that Sasuke was surprised by how much hassle he had to go through, Hinata felt insecure and embarrassed. If Sasuke married an ordinary girl, it wouldn't be so complicated.

She bowed her head and fidgeted with her fingers, "If...if you want to...call this out, then."

"No," Sasuke answered firmly. But he kept his dark eyes framed with long lashes on her, as if she was some enigma, "...You know a lot about shrines and this ritual."

Hinata started. She wanted to beat herself up. How could she have made such a slip? If Sasuke knows that she was a priestess...

Sasuke asked tentatively, "Were you married before?"

"No!" Hinata balked. Hinata might have been many things, but she was never married.

"Sasuke," Kakashi called, impatiently. "I don't have all day."

Finally, the two returned to Kakashi. Sasuke nodded grudgingly, and Kakashi opened his brown leather sack and withdrew a roll of parchment and then some ink.

Hinata's eyes widened at the parchment, though Sasuke seemed as if it was a familiar sight. Parchment was a luxury for commoners, so Hinata wondered how Kakashi required such item. Parchment had to be shipped to Cretes, so it was not a daily item that peasants could acquire with ease.

When Kakashi offered to sanctify their vow, Hinata was quite doubtful of his abilities. But to her surprise, Kakashi sported some of the finest penmanship in Attic Greek she has ever seen. He demonstrated his ability as he wrote on the parchment with a feather pen dipped in ink. It was also evident that he at least knew some basic details of overseeing a marriage.

While Hinata was admiring his writing, Kakashi said in a disgruntled tone, "The bride-to-be could go and make a flower crown or whatever."

"Ah," Hinata looked down at her pink dress that Sasuke got for her in the market. Sasuke narrowed his eyes in disapproval at Kakashi, but Hinata shook her head at him and smiled.

"I'll be back, Sasuke." she turned around and ran back to the direction of the hut. Then she turned around, "See...see you by the po-poplar trees."

Then she hurried inside the hut without waiting for Sasuke's answer.

* * *

Underneath the poplar trees and by the river stream where he first saw her, Sasuke waited patiently for his bride-to-be. He sat on a stone bank, stretching his long legs out in the water. His hand twirled a piece of grass. The canopy above him cast a greenish light over his luminous skin. Kakashi who was the overseer of the marriage crossed his arms and maintained a sullen expression.

Then both men heard light footsteps on the grass full of wet dew.

Sasuke turned around, and he looked as if his world stopped. Hinata was still in the same pink dress, but she had a white fabric over her hair as a substitute for a bridal veil. At closer look, Sasuke realized that the veil was modified from her old dress that she wore when he rescued her. In her hand was a few blue flowers.

Hinata saw his piercing eyes as he slowly raised his head and straightened his shoulders.

The look on his eyes was fierce but instead of cowering, she found herself squirming underneath his blatant stare. His lips that would usually shut in a line or curve at the end opened ever so slightly. She suddenly became self-conscious of her hastily made white headdress that she made out of her old priestess robe, and she hid her fidgeting hands behind her back and timidly made eye contact.

For a moment, he kept staring at her as if she was the biggest threat to his existence. She wondered, _Is he mad that I came too late? _But the way he stiffened as he glowered at her told her that he wasn't that emotionally moved by such reason. She was fairly confident that he wasn't mad at her.

When she called his name, "Sasuke," the spell broke, and the mask of cool indifference returned to his face. He buried his hands deep into his jumper pockets by the side of his hips and walked up to her.

When he stared down at her, she quickly averted her eyes to the side and bowed her head behind her raised bouquet of blue flowers. An eyebrow rose at her unusual behavior.

Kakashi, the reluctant overseer, proceeded with the ritual with disapproval but nevertheless diligently executed the necessary steps.

In the last step,the couple was to draw blood from their fingers and print their seal on the parchment.

Kakashi handed Sasuke the dagger first. Sasuke cut his finger and Hinata winced. When it was Hinata's turn, she found herself shaking slightly.

Hinata finally drew out blood from her index finger with a sigh. Sasuke also watched with tension evident in his pursed lips.

She dropped her blood on the parchment next to Sasuke's seal.

Kakashi made a single clap with both of his hands, "Well, that's it. Happy marriage." He quickly furled the parchment and put it in his brown sack. "I will have this notarized by the closest temple."

Then he left, leaving behind the newly weds. At Hinata's insistence, the couple watched Kakashi disappear into the woods.

* * *

It was night time. Hinata could hear the cuckoo bird hooting in the distant. The sound was clearer than any music she has ever heard. It felt like hearing a silver ring rolling on the marble floor in lapses.

The firelight on the candle wax was burning by the bedside, the tiny flame dancing by the flow of air.

Sasuke was sitting on the bed due to the lack of chairs and brandishing his dagger and other hunting weapons. Hinata could see his wide back that was hunched over as he was busy focusing on his task. He was so quiet that Hinata could barely hear his breathing even in the dead silence of the forest. His dark hair falling on the nape of his neck that shone like honey bronze by the firelight.

Hinata brushed her long dark hair down with her fingers. Her hair has been sticking out here and there, and she worried about looking disheveled. She wondered how Sasuke always managed to look put together despite not having various accessories like combs that she saw royal and aristocratic members fret about. On top of that, he would even look better than them.

She wondered what could have convinced Sasuke to keep her as his wife. She has made countless mistakes in the house, a lot of them happening in the margins of Sasuke's imagination. She was making small improvements, but they felt minuscule compared to the daunting task of housekeeping. Looking at the town, there were many beautiful young girls who fawned and swooned over Sasuke. Hinata could bet in a thousand that the girls would make lovely wives who would never make such mistakes with cooking and cleaning in the household. They would even be healthy enough to bear many children, one of the many feminine virtues professed by men.

Hinata might have pale skin and small hands and feet, but she didn't mistake herself as having the dainty, fresh charm that was fashionable in the upper class. Her torso and thighs were too thick to be considered an elegant figure, and the sadness in her eyes made her look like a timid field mouse compared to the vivacious ladies in Sasuke's village. When she saw them dance in the moonflower festival, she could only stand in awe at how happy and carefree yet charming they looked in their bare feet and tossed hair.

Hinata couldn't imagine that could have made Sasuke think it was a good idea to keep Hinata as his wife. But here she was.

And the advantages of living with Sasuke has been fantastic. He has been more than good to her. He could have treated her as a slave, but he didn't.

She even wondered if Sasuke knew how to treat anyone as a slave. It seemed that he only knew how to treat a person as a 'human.' Even angry at Kakashi, Sasuke never overstepped his bounds and she could still tell that he admired and respected him. Very different from how she saw her family and aristocrats around her treat people. Her father treated men as his chess pieces and women as breeding mares. Her sister treated everyone around her as inherently below herself in birth and rights. Of all the people she had known, the person who she found most agreeable in treating others was Neji-her ruthless but fair minded cousin treated people according to their character and value.

Until the night at the temple.

She felt her heart hammering in her chest.

It came to her-the memories of tongue, rough hands, strong thighs, red warmth at the shell of her ear, and breathing.

Hinata instinctively knew. The only way to tip this outrageously tilted scale was for her to sleep with him. There was no way Sasuke would not be expecting this. He had went through so much trouble for her. This was the only way she could repay him.

She felt her hands shivering and toes curling. She told herself, _be strong. _ It is only natural that all men wanted one thing. _ Sasuke is also a man. He is no exception. She needed to repay him. For his kindness. _

So she slowly turned towards Sasuke and sat carefully next to him. She wondered if she should quietly rest her forehead on his shoulder as a signal.

Sasuke noticed her sitting close to him and asked her, "are you tired?" His low voice felt soothing to her ears.

Hinata blushed, "um, no." The sound of her beating heart resonated through here entire body. She regarded his considerate action as his way of asking her if she was ready. Her heart was crudely pounding in her little chest. She hoped he couldn't hear.

"You seem to be," he placed his hunting gear on the floor and rose from the bed. "Here, go to sleep."

Suddenly she grabbed on his sleeve, "Sa-sasuke, wait!"

When Sasuke's eyes widened, she blushed furiously, "Sasuke...there's..." She bowed her head down, "there's...the final step left."

"Final step?" Sasuke's brows furrowed in concern and annoyance. "Did Kakashi miss something?"

Hinata gaped in shock, "N-no!"

"Wait, if I try to track him, I might find him." Sasuke took his weapons for safety in the dark.

"No, no, wait!" Clawing desperately on the fabric of his chest, Hinata forced him to sit back down on the bed. Sasuke looked down at her embarrassed face in confusion but still relented. He left his weapons back on the floor and gave her his full attention. Her cheeks turned fiery red as she burned with mortification. Just imagining Sasuke chasing down Kakashi in the middle of the night and demanding him to complete the "last step" of the marriage ritual...

"Well, Sa-Sasuke..." Hinata bowed her head and looked down at her hands that nervously fidgeted, "it's...it's to do the 'wife's duty.'"

She shyly glanced at Sasuke, thinking that he will get the hint. After it was the universal language of humanity-that wives bear their husband's weight and then bear 'fruit.'

But Sasuke just blinked.

She wondered if she was being too vague. She told herself-_he does talk quite directly himself._ She ventured, a shade redder. "I-it's...also...the husband's duty."

It was true. If men do not take the lead and practice their 'duty,' there is no way women could bear 'fruit.'

"So" he opened his chiseled lips, "it could be both the wife and husband's duty?"

Sasuke looked at Hinata as if she was giving him a riddle like the Sphinx-_What has four legs in the morning, two legs in the noon, three legs at night_

"Yes!" Hinata blushed as she didn't know what to do. "um...it's..."

Than suddenly, Hinata reached out her hand and pushed him on his back.

Sasuke lied on the bed frozen, his wide eyes staring at Hinata. He looked as if Hinata suddenly splashed ice cold water on him out of nowhere.

Hinata stared back at him. "S-see?" she stuttered.

Sasuke closed his eyes and slung his arm over his forehead as if he was having a migraine. Then he slowly opened his eyes. At his sharp gaze, Hinata started and she held her hand close to her chest.

His eyes that were so dark that his pupils and irises were indistinguishable stared at her closely. He was silent and then grabbed her arm.

Hinata felt her entire body pulled to the mattress, and she was lying next to Sasuke.

Sasuke grabbed her by the back of her throat and placed his forehead to hers. Hinata recoiled. She felt as if she was suddenly attacked by a hunting dog that was resting by her feet peacefully.

Hinata heard his low voice, "Are you sure?"

Sasuke eyed her seriously, "I thought...you wouldn't want to do it, because you were hurt before."


	6. Chapter 6 Nuptials

A/N: I am truly flattered to receive much more attention than I ever expected. I have never received this much attention for my fanfic, even when I was writing Waker's Pearl and Dear Mr. Dino. Even my parents are happy, haha. This is extraordinary! Thank you!

I have finals till end of June. So I will update at the first week of July!

I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_"_Bu_-_but..." Hinata stammered, "I-I need to repay you!"

"Repay...me?" Sasuke dropped his gentle grip on the back of her neck and stared at her incredulously, "Leuke, we are husband and wife now." He then looked at her calmly, "And I am not a debt collector." His eyes were gentle, despite what could have been a dishonorable insinuation. Not all debt collectors were bad, but they definitely had a dishonorable, unfavorable reputations among the people.

Lying side to side on their narrow bed, Hinata didn't know what to say, "I-I know, but..."

_Then what would be the reason you decided to marry me? If it's not for bedding me? _She wanted to ask, but the question couldn't leave her throat. She was not smart or clever with household chores, nor was she outstandingly beautiful. What could he see that made him think she was worthy to keep? Did he really mean it when he said it didn't matter to him as long as they were with each other, or did he have some kind of different motive? Perhaps, he, in his understandable blindness of youth, thought that relationships could continue through pity or patronizing heroism.

She was scared of catching him in his lie or folly. But his lie was so sweet she wanted to believe in it.

He chuckled and wrapped his left arm around her. Hinata started at his intimacy and blushed at his laughter that made him look so free-spirited, "You have a funny way of speaking, Leuke. It almost seems as if you are from an entirely different world."

Different world. Yes, she was from a different world.

Long ash brown hair flitted in the back of her memory.

A cold chill ran across her body. She reminded herself that she should be more careful in her choice of words. Sasuke had intuition.

But she felt the need to ask him how he noticed her strangeness. She will remember to be more shrewd next time. "Ho-how?"

"First, nobody calls 'sex' a 'duty.'" A scoff. "Duty is more like putting food on the table."

Hinata was listening to him intently. She played with her fingers in nervousness as they lied side by side, nose to nose. Sasuke watched her with a blank expression that reflected something like curiosity, and Hinata fought the urge to push back his dark fringes with her fingers. His hair kept getting on his eyes, and she was worried.

Then he reached out his outstretched hand and touched her bare shoulder. Goosebumps rose at his heated touch. Hinata's breath quickened, her round pale irises stared at Sasuke's smoldering coal eyes. After holding her shoulder, his hand sought the soft flesh of her underarm and slid underneath, touching the side of her rib. She felt his large hot hand getting an inch closer to her breasts. If his hand slid downward, he would be groping her. Hinata felt her breath quicken as he approached closer and the uncontrollable warmth that spread through her body, and her eyes stared at his firm lips that parted slightly. His warm breath landed softly on her plush lips. His eyes darkened with desire she was more used to seeing in milky eyes like her own. Hinata has never seen his obsidian eyes this close, since he asked her to marry him.

His hand slid downward, tantalizingly near her round breast, and Hinata started. What she had feared and at the same time was anticipating was happening. Sasuke's index finger lazily drew circles above her nipple hiding underneath her dress. As he continued, she soon found herself wanting to feel his fingers directly on her skin, not through the fabric.

She closed her eyes and tried to suppress her squirms at his teasing, "umm..." But she was affected and the way her back arched pushed her firm breasts higher. As an answer to her tacit request, he cupped her left breast with his large hand.

Hinata's pulse quickened at his hard, firm grasp, and her nerves instantly went on high alert as he approached her closer. When he squeezed her left breast, Hinata flinched lightly and opened her eyes and met his unshakable dark gaze. His face wore a serious, unreadable expression, but somehow she was not scared. Even though his eyes were unreadable, they were filled with emotions. But the emotions felt like a mystery. Then she felt her body relax little by little until his other hand reached for the linen strap of her pink dress and slid it down her shoulder, revealing her pale generous breasts thrust high with her dark nipples. If there was one thing about her body that she wasn't so ashamed of—may she even say proud of— it was the color and shape of her breasts.

She peered into his eyes, hoping Sasuke would like them.

Sasuke's hand stretched out and cupped her right breast that was finally bare and exposed to his sight. He grabbed her right breast and felt the skin with his rough fingers as if it was a fruit. At the sudden sensation of his hot hand that groped her, Hinata's eyes snapped wide open but she took deep breaths to ease into his touch.

Then Hinata felt his hands move under her dress, hitching up her skirt. He huskily whispered "Leuke..."

She blushed and bit the bottom of her lip. She lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

Sasuke looked at her face and then started stroking her plump thighs with his large hands. His hands studied the smooth texture of her thighs and squeezed the plump flesh. Hinata has always wished for her thighs to be slimmer like the huntress Sakura, so the way he touched her surprised her. Albeit, a rather pleasant surprise. A small part of her always worried if he would be disappointed in her figure on the nuptial night. Instead of narrowing in disappointment or loathing as she expected, his dark eyes seemed mesmerized by how much flesh he could grasp in his hands.

She felt his warm hand clasp over her pale, taut thighs, and then curve over her butt. Suddenly, he pressed his fingers onto her thighs and yanked her hips closer to his body. Her core felt the unmistakable solid ridge of his erection pressing against her. Hinata's eyes snapped open when she felt that he was hard, and the knowledge panicked her for an instant. Even if he was still fully clad, she could feel his size and her face paled. She wondered, _were all men like this?_

Sasuke looked at her fearful expression carefully, "I would never hurt you, Leuke."

She looked at him with apprehension and a slight resentment in her eyes. Even though she knew it was not his fault for being so well endowed, she couldn't help but blame him just a little bit for the inevitable pain to come.

But as insane as she thought herself and this situation to be—marrying someone she hardly knew—she believed in him. She believed that he would never hurt her.

Sasuke's lips crinkled in uneasiness as he saw the fear and blame in her eyes, and Hinata couldn't help but notice how sweet and defenseless he looked being apologetic.

But despite the sweet look of innocence she believed him to show, his hands moved as if they had a will of their own.

His hands explored the crevice of her buttocks, starting from the bottom of her spine down to her weeping slit. His index finger poked on the end of her feminine lips and her hips bucked in response.

Hinata started and writhed helplessly as she felt his hands molding the soft globes of her buttocks. His hand moved between her legs, and Hinata instinctively clamped her legs tightly together. Unrelenting, his hand squeezed in, to feel the sweet core that was hidden away from sight. At the tight friction she felt when he squeezed his two fingers between her legs, Hinata gasped and then saw his lips curve into a smile. He didn't push his fingers inside her body but the feel of his fingers squeezed snugly between her thighs, his fingertips pressed onto her sensitive clit sent her into a state of fervent want. She looked at his face, his broad shoulders, and slightly damp muscular chest. She wanted him too. Despite all the royal protocols that were drilled into her and mandatory lessons about how a chaste lady should act, she had no choice but to admit that she wanted him.

His dark eyes with pupils so black that they looked like night stared into her face. Hinata blushed and wondered how her face would look right now. Probably, her face was distorted in ugliness, she thought.

Then she winced with a grunt and backed off slightly, as she felt his thumb press harder on the tiny pearl of her nub. His hand ruthlessly stimulated her clit, and the added friction of her thighs pressed against each other made her buck involuntarily and her center ooze with fluids. A tear formed in her eye, "Sasuke...", asking him what this all meant. Why was she feeling so much at his touch?When his hand shifted against her, between her thighs, the friction made the throbbing sensation between her legs swell.

"Sasuke," she breathed, "gentle..." It was more as a plea.

His dark eyebrows arched in agony, telling her it was killing him but he desperately reined in with his self control and pulled his fingers out.

He pulled his fingers away from her clit, letting Hinata breathe in relief and collapse sweetly into his arms with all the trust she had. He rested his cheek by the side of her head. He murmured, "you are doing well." They looked like lovers in every single way. His fingertips rested carefully on her thighs. His dark eyes seemed hungry, desperate, and yearning as his hot breath descended on her ears.

However, the sweet moment where she relaxed in his arms ceased to an abrupt halt when his muscled arms encircled her waist and yanked her closer towards him, pressing her body flushed against his. He caged her lithe body in his long sinewy arms like a beast clutching a little prey. Hinata's pearly eyes widened at such sudden display of possessiveness. One moment, Sasuke would be caring and gentle, treating her as a porcelain doll. Next, he acted as if he had hardly any self control left.

Her hands gently pushed on his strenom.

Sensing her urge to struggle, his arms wound her closer, wrapping around her waist, and tightening his grip. His sudden movements communicated his barely restrained animalistic need, and Hinata unwittingly let out a soft, plaintive sigh at the suffocating heat and tightness that engulfed her.

At the sound of her sigh, Sasuke froze and released her from his tight embrace as if he came back to his senses. He rose above her, his hands splayed open by either side of her head, his arms and legs caging her beneath him on his bed. Finding a place to settle, his fingertips descended and then gingerly pressed onto her thighs. Hinata's milky eyes looked up to his face in the mixed feelings of trust and fear. When he saw her face, he suddenly grabbed her thighs he has been caressing and opened her legs widely.

Without hesitation, his hand reached to her center and pulled down the white slip of fabric that was wrapped around her pelvis and waist.

Hinata's eyes widened, "Sa-Sasuke...". Her lips trembled. She knew this was going to eventually happen, but she couldn't help but feel scared.

Keeping his reassuring gaze fixed on her, he approached her bare clit, and Hinata's eyes widened when he suddenly lowered himself and pressed his hot mouth to her pink folds.

His tongue touched her clit in fast, gentle series of licks. With long laps, his tongue glided all over her slit. His tongue poked at her clit in small gentle thrusts. She felt him kiss her feminine lips and her ears registered the loud sound of a long drawn out suck as his lips dragged along her labia.

"Aah! Sa-sasuke!" Her voice came out louder than she wanted. Hinata's body twisted and she gasped, but his grip on her thighs only tightened more as his tongue ploughed her insides in long, teasing strokes. She felt her walls tighten furiously at the intruding muscle. Her hands trembled, stretched out, begging for a boulder to hold onto. While sucking on her, he looked at her hands that lost their way and grabbed her wrist and guided her to his shoulder.

Hinata gratefully grabbed his shoulders and arched her back. Sasuke gazed up at her for a moment, her reddened neck and gorgeous breasts with rose-brown nipples. Then he went back to prodding on her clit with his tongue, nodding his head. This time she screamed. Liquid oozed down the crevice of her thighs that shivered in the aftermath.

After stimulating her clit with his tongue, he rose and Hinata looked up at him dazed. The moonlight from their single window illuminated the high planes of his face while the shadow accentuated the shape of his his nose and lips. She saw him languorously lick the side of his mouth of his tongue. His eyes were fogged up with desire, and she felt confused and addled with mind-numbing pleasure. She felt heat spread across her face, especially concentrated near her eyes.

His dark hair fell across his eyes as his gaze fell to her core. Then grabbing her by the waist, he slowly thrust his clothed erection against her, in and out, mimicking the thrusts between a man and woman. Hinata blushed at his directness but she couldn't take her eyes away. As he thrust, he was communicating what he wanted to do to her. And as strange as it sounded, Hinata thought that if it was Sasuke, she was willing too. Someone who was no more than a stranger several weeks ago. Someone who would've passed by her without much thought if they met in the streets. She imagined him selling hunting game and herself buying livestock for temple sacrifices. They would never have crossed paths in ordinary circumstances. But she was letting him do these intimate things to her.

In an abrupt motion, Sasuke held down her throat with his fingers. His fingers pulled her chin downward, forcing her to open her mouth. When Hinata opened her mouth, her pink tongue poking out, unaware of his intentions, he charged at her in a suffocating kiss. He varied the angle of his fervent kisses he poured onto her. His kisses were not sweet and tender at first; his kisses were rough and searing. She was sure that by the end her lips will be red and swollen. His molten tongue glided across hers in her mouth. Hinata cried and he swallowed her cries through their joined mouths and stubbornly continued to press his tongue onto hers. He nodded and groaned in satisfaction and Hinata had no choice but to follow his lead and nod along as he deepened his kiss.

She moaned, and suddenly when Sasuke started exploring her mouth, she remembered Neji.

It was a fleeting thought, but she suddenly remembered Neji's kisses. How he stretched her over his bed and towered over her as she pushed on his right shoulder timidly. She remembered how at the waning of the seemingly endless pounding, when she would sigh in relief at overcoming this ordeal that took her breath and stole her senses, Neji would suddenly reach out his hand and hold the back of her neck. He pulled her lips close to him. Then he would force her mouth open with his index finger that dug in between her lips and then delve into her. When she whimpered, her throat already hoarse from screaming, he snaked his hand through her hair and grabbed the back of her head. His and her saliva trickled down her jaw. He placed his mouth on hers as if hungry and desperate. As if he was her lover, and after pounding her hard and fast and harshly like a whore, the protocol was a long fervent, tender, soft kiss—as soft as Neji could be. She was confused and scared, because she couldn't bring herself to understand. Why after ravaging her throughout her cries, he would sum the whole deed up with a long kiss. It confused her. It confounded her.

Sasuke's tongue was long and hot as she remembered Neji's to be. She arched her back as he held her throat and put his mouth on hers. Sounds of suckling emitted from their lips, and she heard a low gutteral moan of approval from the back of his throat. Feeling a spark of joy that she pleased him, she felt her stiff body moving on its own in ecstasy. As a response, his hands touched her throat gently in appreciation. She felt the curve of his smile against her lips and was awed to see him look so happy. His usually harsh looking dark eyes that glared in concentration softened and a red blush suffused over his cheeks as he smiled. The way his eyes shone under the moonlight stole her breath away, and the rough edged hunter looked like an teenage boy having a time of his life.

He murmured , "you look...so alive."

Sasuke's hand covered the side of her face and Hinata felt her heart pounding in her ears. For the first time in a long while, she made the most open-hearted smile.

Then he pulled away-lips, hands, hips, everything.

When Sasuke suddenly pulled away, Hinata whimpered at the loss and her hands reached out to pull him back. She felt like a kitten that was fed milk and cuddled suddenly being dropped to the cold floor.

"Not yet, Leuke," he sighed as he hastily pulled down his trousers, "wait-" he gently pried away her begging hands with much agony in his face, telling her he really didn't want to refuse his wife.

He took off his clothes, and his bare beauty has smitten her. His tan thighs bulged with the muscles he earned as a hunter and wild scavenger and Hinata's eyes widened and cheeks blushed as she saw his cock. His abdominal muscles that looked chiseled like a bronze statue, rippled at Hinata's blatant gaze.

Then he positioned himself between her pale thighs.

He planted his hands by both sides of her head and went into her slowly. Hinata winced, and a tear formed in her eye. She still felt greatly unprepared for the steady intrusion of his size. He was very well endowed with a huge schlong. Her hands gripped on the bed covering.

"Leuke-," he huffed, and his voice was raspy as if he was being choked. For the first time, she heard him stutter, "I-I like you..."

Then he lowered himself and placed his lips on hers. As he moved his hips, he separated his mouth from hers and inclined his sweaty forehead on hers, "I always wanted to do this to you-I always wanted to kiss you-putting my cock inside you-"

Hinata blushed like a fire was set on her face at his honesty. But instead of feeling embarrassed or indignant like some high class ladies would feel at such crassness, warmth and bliss bloomed in her chest and colors started to burst in her sight. Sasuke wanted to kiss her. Sasuke fantasized about being inside her as if she was some beautiful woman. This was the first time any man admitted such physical attraction, and it flattered her than disgust her. The most physical contact she and Sasuke held was when he held her hand in the moonflower festival. Even when he asked her to marry him, she wondered if he just thought of her as just a comfortable figure to be with and doubted if he would ever find her lovely. So she was overwhelmed and flattered to know that someone she held in such high esteem wanted to kiss her. Such honesty coming from such a stoic but lovable man melted her heart.

As he planted both hands by her hips and thrust into her, he said with a tinge of regret in his face, "I... didn't want to do this to you or say that sort of thing until you were ready."

"But..." he smothered her with another rough kiss.

When he stopped his kisses and pummeled into her, she marveled at the look of clear regret and remorse in his face. He seemed at loss himself and didn't know what to do with his actions. Thankfully, soon his thrusts didn't feel as painful as they did in the beginning. Sasuke acted on impulse and was ashamed of pulling her into his arms and moving into her in forceful thrusts, but Hinata wanted to tell him that she was fine.She wanted to stroke his tortured looking face and comfort him by saying that it was all okay. That she was perfectly willing and he had nothing to be sorry about. She suddenly felt the extreme desire to even give his cheek a gentle pinch. But she couldn't because of the onset of his powerful thrusts that pushed at her threshold of pleasure.

The onslaught of his thrusts transitioned into hard pounding that made it difficult for her hands to reach his face and her thought to make clear directions.

"Leuke-I'm sorry-" her pale eyes looked at him weakly at his confession. His hands interlaced with hers and pinned both of her hands by her side. Abruptly, she felt him thrust even deeper within her in a single stroke. Her milky eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. He was so deep.

He was simply not strong enough; he moved in a reckless abandon, pushing himself violently into her sweet depths. The outrageously obscene sounds of wet flesh slapping against each other echoed in the air, mingling with her pants and his grunts.

Sasuke molded Hinata's breasts in his hands, and he approached one and his tongue swirled around a rosy, hardened nipple, and Hinata's back arched as she cried. Sasuke suckled on the nipple in his mouth as his hand lightly squeezed her breast. He rubbed a finger over her other nipple, causing Hinata's body to twitch and her hand rose to cover his hand that touched her breast. Sasuke flicked his tongue over her nipple as he continued to rub his finger over the other.

Then he stopped his touches on her breasts and rose to watch her face as he slid his length in and out of her, rubbing against her insides. He grabbed both of her wrists in his single hand and watched her facial expressions, puckered in discomfort and pleasure. Hianta twisted and squirmed in the movements of his hips at the overwhelming sensations. She felt her insides clamp on him, squeezing his sheath between her wet dripping walls. His brows furrowed as if he was in pain.

He grunted. Her wrists trapped in his single grip, she shook her head frantically, begging him to stop, to slow down, as she feared she would break. "Sasuke, pl-please-ah!" Her teary milky eyes glanced to the side where she placed the pretty yellow flowers he got for her.

The golden freesias that he gave her and were affectionately watered by her everyday in the morning were placed in a oblong shaped clay vase. The flowers bowed their heads as the man kept thrusting above her in heat. As Sasuke kept panting above her and impaling her, Hinata couldn't help but realize that this was the same man who got her flowers . He was on the verge of breaking her. As he impaled her again and again, she cried out as her body bobbed up and down. "Ah, Sasuke—I-" She begged him to return to the sweet Sasuke who had given her flowers.

"Just a little bit," gripping her wrists in his hand, refusing to let her go, Sasuke breathed. "Just a-" a quick intake of breath, "little bit-"

His breathing harsh and laboured, Sasuke watched her as his groin throbbed inside her and he moved faster. Hinata twisted in his grip as she bit down on her bottom lip, receiving his powerful thrusts. The wet sound of slapping flesh echoed in the air as he repeatedly slammed on her.

He groaned as her feminine warmth squeezed him, milking him to no end. Hinata twisted her legs, and her toes curled. She felt her entire body being zapped by some unknown current of energy. The sensation was overwhelming-pushing her to brink of consciousness and her mind melted in hot white euphoria. Yellow flowers and songs of festivals fluttered in her mind. Sasuke thrust in and out several more, before withdrawing from her and collapsing next to her. Semi-transparent liquid trailed across her thigh as he pulled out his now flaccid member from her.

"Leuke..." he approached closer to her. His cheek smushed against her pale damp shoulder. His low voice sounded cozy and content. Hinata let out rapid breaths out of her gaping mouth and tried to ease the pounding of her chest.

He then asked in a soft murmur as he brushed his fingers across her belly that rose and fell, a question she never expected at that moment "What is your real name?"

Hinata's eyes widened. She turned to Sasuke, hoping that he was just about to fall asleep. He had moved so much for so long, he just had to doze to sleep. A normal man with average stamina would be exhausted. But to her dismay, his dark eyes were as bright as ever, signaling that he was wide awake. Curiosity shone through his face that illuminated under the moonlight. His back straightened, and his entire being was alert and on focus. In her eyes, he looked like a big hunting dog or a wolf with glittering jet-black eyes.

That was when Hinata realized, _ah, he really likes me._ The realization hit her head like a lightning bolt. Sasuke didn't just say it in the heat of the moment. He really did like her. She could see it in his eyes, the way he perked up at her attention, his careful ways of showing that she had his full interest. It was as if his eyes were silently begging her to never leave and stay by his side even though she had no intentions of leaving at all. Even now when he was sweating and huffing, his eyes were absorbed in the task of figuring out her feelings and analyzing her features.

Her heart beat at the realization.

He really did like her.

She felt as if her body was being lifted in the air and soaring to the clouds.

But she told herself—forcefully dragging herself down to earth—she was probably not the kind of girl Sasuke envisioned her to be. She was dishonest, cowardly, and incompetent, just as her father and the main royal branch said. She didn't deserve such pure hearted affection from such a beautiful man.

And she was afraid of showing him a piece of her past even if there was no way for him to know that she was a priestess and a disowned daughter of the previous king.

On the other hand, she was grateful towards Sasuke, and she would do everything in her power to be a good wife to him. She agreed in her own accord and they even made a connection due to husband and wife. She really didn't have any reason to refuse him.

She gazed into his face. He really was handsome, she had to admit. Even before, his perpetual look of indifference and occasional scowl did nothing to mar his handsome features. He was exceptionally attractive, and his dark hair and light skin gave him an ethereal look. His oval shaped face tapered into a sharp chin, and his features looked as if they had been chiseled from marble. His slim eyebrows arched over his dark, smoldering eyes that looked at Hinata with quiet attention. The small firelight by the bed made a glorious golden outline of his muscled body. She hadn't seen anyone as handsome as Sasuke after Neji ni-san and certainly didn't expect to see one after she left the palace. Despite aristocrats and royalty's obsession with birth, Hinata knew that his looks could easily make any woman of social class to fall at their knees. She wondered what could have gotten into this handsome hunter's head to make her his lawfully wedded wife.

After some deliberation, she opened her lips, "Hi...Hinata." She squeezed her eyes shut. There, she said it. Her voice was small, but in the dead silence of the night, he could hear her clearly. Even as she said her name, her mind asked her doubtfully if she was making the right choice—opening up to him.

His dark eyes widened. Then his lips broadened into a breathtaking smile.

He spoke after her, "Hinata..."

Then he stood up in a second and sidled between Hinata's thighs. Hinata gasped,and with her cheeks reddened, she pulled away. Why was he hard again? Sasuke laughed for a short moment and seized her wrist and pulled her towards him with a malicious grin on his face.

_the next morning_

She woke up, her hair sticking out like hay.

Feeling awkward, she didn't know where to place her eyes. She suddenly thought that it would be best to wear her clothes before Sasuke wakes up. If he wakes up...

Hinata wrapped her face with her hands. She didn't have the confidence to face Sasuke. When she remembered that it was she who pushed Sasuke to bed , she felt so embarrassed she wanted to bolt out from the hut. A good, chaste wife doesn't act in such way towards her husband.

She touched her burning cheeks. Last night, the woman who writhed and moaned was far from the ideal portrait of a chaste lady. What if Sasuke sees her as a wanton woman? Suddenly, she felt restless and teetering on the edge. Hinata carefully slipped away from his arm and looked underneath the bed. She just couldn't face him naked. Even if it is difficult to wear like a proper lady, she at least shouldn't face him naked.

Then she guessed. She wasn't a proper lady. She was a common hunter's wife now. _I guess ettiquettes don't matter as much. But still..._

She discovered her clothes that were tangled and sprawled all over the floor. She reached out her hand in a hurry and felt nervous lest she wakes him up. She carefully placed her foot on the floor and stretched her arm towards her dress.

Then suddenly, she felt a tug on her arm.

"Where are you going?"

Hinata looked back at him in surprise and alarm. She thought Sasuke was sleeping but he was looking up at her with narrowed dark eyes, watching her suspiciously beyond his pillow. He tugged on her arm, and suddenly Hinata was yanked back to bed, lying by his side.

"Sa-Sasuke..."

"Where are you going, Hinata?"

Suddenly, the sound of the word "Hinata" on Sasuke's lips made her feel tingly. She tried to tell herself that such emotions are unwarranted. They got married but it's only because she needed him. She needed a place to hide and stay away from the imperial guards and Sasuke provided just that. She had sex with him so the marriage wouldn't be in just name only. So the fast beating of her heart in her bosom at his voice and the tingling feeling of seeing his eyes and the desire to touch his cheek were nonsense—they had no place in this. But when she saw him smile at her, each moment felt like a little treasure, and she wanted to wound her arms around his neck and pull him close, feeling the warmth and his musky scent that was so intoxicating and comforting. She kept remembering the little confession —_I_ _like you. I always wanted to—_

But the doubt in her whispered—what if he decided he no longer wanted her? When the novelty wears down and he tires of her, what should she do?

Ignoring the twinge of pain in her chest, she spoke the truth,

"I-I wasn't going anywhere."

When he looked up at her, reminding her of a scowling puppy, Hinata smiled. She lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek, giving into part of her desires, "Di-did y-you think I was going somewhere?" She could do just that, right?—she asked herself. Just touch his cheek.

Without saying anything, he looked at her for a second. He grabbed her by the chin and tilted her face so he could have access to her neck. Then he carefully chewed her reddened earlobe and then pushed his tongue into the inner shell of her ear.

"I-I," Hinata blushed at the feeling of his tongue on her ear, "I-have a qu-question." _Oh no, not this again—_

"Go ahead," he bit on her earlobe, just enough so it didn't hurt.

"Wh-why," she forced the question out with difficulty, "di-did you-"

She felt like her face was going to combust, "de-decide t-to ma-marry me?"

Then he stopped nipping on her ear and peered into her face. His long thick raven eyelashes cast shadows over his cheek.

Hinata took several deep breaths to calm herself down. Then she looked at Sasuke expectantly, "Wh-why did you decide to marry me?"

She couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. He was silent. She continued, "Yo-you-have far more chance to be ha-happy, being with other girls. I-I can't cook o-or bargain in the mar-market."

He bit back-in a sharper, icier tone: one he never used against her, "I already told you that I am okay with that." For the first time, Sasuke's face looked cold. His dark eyes no longer held the warmth that comforted her. He looked fierce and for the first time, angry. She could feel the wiry strength underneath his entire body that pressed against her.

Hinata started. When he saw the frightened look on Hinata's face, Sasuke stared at her seriously for a moment and sighed. The severe expression that made his features look harsh gradually diminished. He scratched the back of his mussed raven locks, a habit Hinata noticed that he had when he was frustrated or trying to search for words.

She bowed her head, "I-I'm sorry for asking." She felt like she was being a burden—again.

Sasuke frowned, "You could ask. You have every right to." He lifted her chin so she would face him, "I shouldn't have been angry. We've only known each other for a month." He amended back to his subdued timbre.

Tucking her chin up, he looked down at her, "It's because you were in my 'space.'"

Hinata's eyes widened, "Space?"

He nodded, "Kakashi once told me when I was little...you decide how close you are to a person by seeing how much 'space' you are willing to give up."

Hinata wondered. She never heard that before so she was intrigued.

Sasuke continued,

"I usually don't listen to his life or relationship advices, but strangely, that one remained in my mind." He placed his interlaced fingers underneath his head and looked at the ceiling, "The place by the stream with the white poplar trees is my favorite spot. That is where I sit down and relax."

She looked at him in surprise, "Really?" But that was where he told her he found her! How inconvenienced he must have been to see her unconscious in his favorite resting place. She was close to being a dead body, and that would certainly spoil his special spot for him. Even after she got better, he took her to the spot to wash her hands and face. She was surprised to hear that he let her in such a treasured spot.

As if he read her thoughts, he continued, "I was really surprised when I saw you like that." A pause. "And worried."

Hinata murmured, "If it wasn't for you...I might have died. You have a rare kindness in heart."

When she said that, he glanced at her, his eyes glistening with boyish mischief, "And you tried to repay me by always trying to run away."

Her milky eyes widened at his accusation.

Her face turned red like the sunset, "I-I-I"

Hinata couldn't deny it. It was true that in the beginning, whenever Sasuke left her alone to hunt outside, she would wander off in the forest, hoping to find a way to escape. At that time, she didn't trust Sasuke's kindness. She thought his kindness would soon reveal to be a ploy to sell her as a slave or turn her in to the authorities. But the frustrating part was that she always got lost in the crowded forest and had to return to his hut.

"Ho-how did you-" Her face reddened at the realization that she was caught.

"Whenever I came back, there was more dirt on your skirt and you looked like you were on the verge of crying. Of course I knew."

He added in a neutral tone that eased her mortification, "this forest is hard for even experienced scavengers to navigate. It's even been called the 'Forest of Death.'"

Then he looked down at her with a glint to his dark eyes, "I thought you might be the only person whom I don't mind sharing my house with." His dark fringe fell above his forehead as he smiled down at her, his full lips forming a subtle, "barely there" smile.

Then he sneaked his hand over to her arm, "And whenever you tried to run away..."

His long deft fingers stroked her naked belly. Hinata squirmed as she felt warmth bloom in her abdomen, "I knew I had to tie you up."

Hinata blushed at his words. Then she sensed the intense reflection of his unreadable stare.

"So, hate to disappoint you, but," he weighed her lower body down with his right leg. Hinata eeped. He—they were still naked and it was broad daylight. In her eyes, he suspiciously seemed to be drawing sadistic pleasure from tormenting her. "I don't really act out of 'kindness of heart.'" His eyes closed and he rested his face by her neck. His warm breath pressed on her collarbones. Suddenly his face that basked in relaxation looked youthful like a boy's. His dark brows weren't furrowed like before, but relaxed.

Hinata begged to differ.

"You are kind to me," she couldn't help but look at his closed eyelids and admire his long dark lashes and straight nose.

Sasuke's eyes opened and the glinting severity returned. He watched her, and she froze, entranced by his more beautiful eyes. And then he held her close, weighing her down with his body, "It's because..."

He paused for what felt like forever. Then he slowly opened his lips.

"You are the first thing I could ever call 'mine.'"

Hinata blushed as she felt his naked form draped over hers, "I-I don't understand-"

He grabbed her wrist when she tried to turn away, "I found you. I kept you alive. I have no other family." He said simply. "Kakashi is no family of mine. He made that very clear ever since I began to speak. You are my family, Hinata."

At the word, "family," Hinata felt her stomach warm up with a quaint, fuzzy feeling.

Before she met Sasuke, the only family she knew was her tyrannic father, her little sister, and her cold, perfect cousin. But she began to wonder if that was all going to change. If this man before her would be her 'family,' she might forget all her nightmares.

He glanced sharply to a side, indicating some embarrassment , "And I never wanted to just 'live' with a lover. I always wanted to give the right social position to the woman I want, if I ever find her."

Hinata nodded. That was where she was confused about Sasuke's intentions. Even though the overwhelming population of young people in Greece married through their parents' desires, a lot of them preferred to just live with their partners as lovers not as husbands and wives. It's just society of Greece did not allow that very often. So many male youths would envy Sasuke's freedom to choose any girl he wanted and stay unmarried. But Sasuke decided to take the traditional route and marry her as soon as he made up his mind. She really respected his unwavering determination, firm attitude towards life, and clear pursuit of what he wanted.

And for that, she will try to be a good wife to Sasuke. She thanked him from the bottom of her heart.

As Sasuke moved between her thighs, she touched his face, and a fleeting thought of the man with the sculpted profile and lips and long brown hair entered her conscience. Even though that man hurt her, she still wished for his happiness.

She thought, _even if I might never forget Neji ni-san, I will try to be a good wife to Sasuke. _

She made her last prayer, _please be happy, Neji ni-san. I will find my happiness too. Maybe mine is not too far away._

* * *

_In the private residence of Perseus who governed Phaistos, which is about 300 miles away from the southern border of Threspotia, where Sasuke and Hinata live. _

At his lifted hand, Neji's soldiers produced torches and lit Perseus's stables on flame. Perseus's prized horses escaped the burning stables and black smoke rose to the light purple sky strewn with light pink clouds.

Mounted on his pale stallion Helios, Neji watched the burning stables with lips shut in a thin line. His brown hair blew across the light purple sky and his eyes looked like the silvery surface of the winter seas.

Seeing the conflagration, the member of the main royal family, Perseus widened his pale-white eyes in anger,

"My lord, you could not do this! This is an outrage!"

When he tried to approach the king, the imperial guards stopped his track with spears. Cornered by the guards, Perseus sweated and looked up to his ruler in anger and fear.

Neji looked down at the seething and sweating aristocrat with cold eyes, "If you didn't refuse to be searched, things would have gone easier, Perseus. "

Perseus bit his bottom lip. Despite his pride that refused to show his regret, he realized it was not a good idea to refuse the king of his same age.

Perseus was one of the main royal family that objected Neji's ascension to the throne, citing the reason that the member of the subordinate family should never inherit the crown.

However, the true reason was that Perseus's father intended to use Hinata, the main blood and first princess, as their political puppet.

But due to the premature death of Hiashi that sparked rumors of the princess's responsibility, Hinata was quickly dismissed and Neji was inaugurated as king.

Neji thought, if he can't find her, at least he will use this to instill fear and respect, another opportunity to consolidate his reign.

Neji scanned the spacious private residence of Perseus where his soldiers were searching for any trace of her.

He thought that Hinata would be hiding somewhere near the main-royal family or main-blood supporting aristocrats who tried to use her as a ploy.

He gripped his rein until his knuckles turned bone- white. But he couldn't find her. Perseus was the second to the last main family he searched.

"Still no trace?" he commanded with arrogance at his sergeant. His scowl did nothing to mar his handsome features. If anything, his haughty look of disdain elevated him to godlike glory. His pearly eyes glowed softly with the velvet sky as the background.

When the sergeant bit his bottom lip and stood as if it was his fault, Neji sighed and turned Helios around, trotting away to his next destination.

As he trotted away, he bowed his head and shadows cast over his features, _Hinata sama...where are you?_

His jaw clenched as his eyes rooted in the direction of his next step, _where are you?_

He closed his eyes. He thought of her serene gaze whenever he entered his chambers, reeking of that day's political manipulation, lies, and sometimes blood.

When he had an especially rough time in his duties, he would order his slaves to bring the priestess to his main chamber. The underlings believed him to be especially devout and needed meditation and spiritual guidance to de-stress. He did meditate on his own, but Hinata knew what she was called for.

When she would see him, she would look at him with an all-knowing gaze in her snow-white eyes that had a hint of lavender. To ignorant ones, the royal family's pale irises may all look the same, but Hinata's eyes were different. Her glance was soft like her voice, comforting like the texture of fresh cotton.

Hinata, even when betrayed and hurt and accused of patricide, she was artless and warm. Even when she hated him for what he had done to her, he preferred her touch above anyone else's.

So when he would see her, waiting for him on his white bed, he would feel his chest rise with triumph. He did it. He won against the odds-his dirty blood, her fiance whom she loved, her father, the main royal family.

The sound of the door opening would stir Hinata out of her reverie. But she would no longer scramble to her feet, bowing low before her king. She would just sit on the bed, as she learned that good behavior would not release her from her prison. She didn't have to look at Neji to know that it was him entering. The scent only kings were obligated to wear was telling enough. He would smell of myrrth while she would emanate the scent of frankincense from the temple. If he came back from war, the metallic smell of blood would signal her to alert. The crimson red against his silver armor shone like blood stained mirrors in the hall. She would look at the reflection of her crestfallen face in his armor when she removed them for him.

When he woke up from slumber, he would see her face sleeping next to his, her eyelashes matted with tears. Whenever he saw her tears, he knew that he was below human.

He arched over his horse, his hand that gripped his rein trembled and his teeth gritted. His long brown hair fell like a curtain across his face.

But now she had disappeared to god knows where. If she has taken her own life, he will burn the entire nation with her.

But not until he goes to his next destination-Threspotia.


	7. Chapter 7 Water Nymph

A/N: I do not own Naruto. Please don't forget to review! Constructive feedback, comments, criticism are always welcomed!

I hate having to post a long A/N, but please bear with me. I understand that in the canon, Neji was only four years old when he was branded with the seal and his father died. I decided to tweak the canon and make the age nine instead. You could see how I changed the details of the canon in Ch.2

As always, deep thanks to everyone who took her/his time to read this fic.

I decided to post chapters about Neji and Hinata's past while adding tidbits about the SasuHina present. I hope it is not too confusing. I am still experimenting, and I never took a creative writing course and my first language isn't English, so please bear with me.

Thank you. Much love.

* * *

_In the past, the reign XXX B.C.E of Cretes, March, Xth, the 15th year of King Hiashi's reign,_

Loud footsteps were heard in the grand hall of the grand palace of Knossos, the capital city of Cretes. Two tall figures of identical height and long brown hair strutted in a hurried pace as they passed by the tapered red pillars that buttressed the bright yellow ceiling engraved with circular patterns.

King Hiashi had just came back from his oversea war campaigns with his twin brother Hizashi, but forbade any formal welcomes in haste to go to his wife.

It was the day King Hiashi's queen Hitomi was to deliver a second child.

"I came late by returning from the frontier. It must have been so hard on her to give birth on her own!"

An uncharacteristic sweat formed on Hiashi's face, "I left her alone for six months! She must be greatly upset of this neglect!"

His brother made a congenial smile, but the smile didn't reach his silver grey eyes. Luckily, his elder brother was ahead of him, so he did not see the furrowed brows of his identical twin's face, nor the tenseness of his strong jaw.

Hizashi laughed, "haha, you know that queen Hitomi would never fault you for such triviality. She is a true woman of the palace, always patient and loyal to the king."

Hiashi laughed, "as always, you have a smooth tongue."

The queen's guard straightened up like a rod as soon as he saw the king and the prince and announced in a booming tone, "His majesty has arrived!"

As the bronze door coated with vermillion wax opened, Hizashi smiled tightly, "I offer my congratulations in advance, my king."

Hiashi grunted, as if he was tickled by his brother's praises.

In the open ceiling styled chamber, petals of white plum trees blew gently and landed on the rectangular pool in the center. A jar of scented oil and a lotus-shaped candle was placed by the pool. Diaphanous drapes swept across the air, creating a dream-like atmosphere.

White plum blossoms with a hint of sickly yellow bloomed until March, while they should have faded at least a fortnight ago.

King Hiashi smiled at the blossoms on the tree. Yellow was the sign of royalty. He believed it was a auspicious sign by the gods.

Hiashi's shoulders tensed and his chest brimmed with hope, but he carefully curated his face as not to reveal anything.

Hizashi's heart also was affected, but not out of joy and anticipation. He tried to bring a reassuring smile to his face, but felt his smile forced and artificial.

Hiashi walked up confidently to the queen's bed and pulled the opaque white drapes, "Hitomi, my queen! You have done well! Is it a son?"

He didn't catch the nervous sweat dropping like rain across the queen handmaid's face. Hizashi's face gradually lightened as his brother Hiashi's stiffened.

Hiashi's entire posture stiffened, and his once jovial face grew pale and livid. Then he turned sullen but his fists were still clenched. The light in his eyes dimmed and the carefully curated apathetic mask cracked to reveal the inner savage rage.

A crooked tone of disappointment snaked its way to his cool voice, "A daughter."

Hizashi looked at how the queen's lips turned blue. She was lying with a white dress normally worn underneath her formal tunics, and her dark indigo hair fell across her shoulders. She had just came out of the harrowing hours of labor, but what awaited her was cold scorn and contempt. All because her child was not a son.

The baby wrapped in cotton was fast asleep. She was a sweet infant, but her father was indifferent and nobody dared to interfere the king's process of diluting his anger. Nobody dared to step forward to tend to the second princess and protect her from her father's wrath.

"My king," the queen struggled to rise, but her strength failed her. Even her urgent plea was just a whisper when he turned away from the child. "you must-you must at least give her a name! She's your daughter!"

Like everything related to the Hyuugas, what would have been a turmoil of emotions was clean, sterile, and quiet. Even the queen's tears were silent.

Ignoring her, Hiashi faced his brother, "Hizashi, I don't have time for this. I have more urgent matters to attend. You give her a name."

Her handmaiden tried to aid Hitomi in standing, and the queen stumbled.

Hizashi almost grimaced at his brother's coldness, but his Hyuuga blood and decade worth of politician life kept him safe, "Should I add the suffix of our father to her name, your maje-"

Hiashi clenched his fist and turned at his brother and was about to make him the target of his frustrations, but something far behind his brother caught his eye.

A tiny figure was standing by the side of a trembling maid who was watching this sight. When he saw who it was, Hiashi's anger took a quick turn.

"Ah...Neji, my nephew..."

Smoothly, Hiashi's eyes that were engorged with anger turned crescent-shaped. His cooled voice reflected tender affection, "My dear nephew..."

Hiashi turned towards the nine year old prince, his nephew, the son of his younger brother. The only male descendant of the Hyuuga royalty.

The king stretched out both of his arms toward Neji.

When Hizashi saw his son's hesitation, he narrowed his eyes and said in a stern voice, "Come to your uncle, Neji. That is not befitting behavior."

Nine year old Neji stared wide eyed as he stood about twenty feet away from where his father, uncle and aunt were standing.

He felt that something was amiss. He just ran from his lessons to see his father, but the atmosphere was too tense and thick. _Was the queen crying? Was uncle about to strike father? _

But since his uncle seemed to no longer be angry, he told himself that everything must be fine. He must be reading into things too much. His uncle was harsh sometimes but always meant well to his family—or at least, that was what his father said.

Neji at first tentatively took a few steps. And then he ran towards his uncle who quickly strode across the floor.

"Neji!" Hiashi attempted to lift the nine year old boy but gave up, chuckling "look how you have grown!"

"Uncle!" A soft pink blush suffused over the young boy's face, and his mercury grey eyes lit up in excitement. He felt immediately relieved.

Neji was placed back on his feet. Hiashi smiled down at him benevolently, "you are so heavy that I could no longer lift you." He stroked the boy's brown hair that was smoothly combed back in a pony tail.

Hizashi approached Hiashi and Neji and smiled uneasily, "Please do not spoil him anymore with your affections, your majesty."

Hiashi smiled broadly, "I must give my favorite child his gift."

Suddenly savage rage threatened to overcome Hizashi. _He is not your child. He is mine! _But he as always, never showed any emotions.

Hiashi knelt before Neji and handed him something. Neji received it with both hands, thinking '_It's light._' When he looked, he saw a hairband interwoven with red dyed silk and gold thread.

"A trophy from Thebes, one of our conquests." Hiashi said proudly. "Red is said to symbolize 'health and longevity.'"

Neji looked down at the gift with wide eyes. Then his face lit up in a pure smile and he thanked the king, "Thank you, your majesty!"

"I told you to call me 'uncle' in private, Neji."

"Uh-" Neji glanced at his father's tense face. Ever the observant boy, he hesitated for a second before looking at his uncle. He never saw his father in such malevolent mood before. Hiashi's eyes narrowed in observation. Thinking he must be overthinking once again, Neji looked up to his uncle and king in admiration and gratitude, "Thank you, uncle."

* * *

The eight year old princess was in the mazelike garden the palace of Knossos was famous for. The tall shrubs that formed the labyrinthine maze in the palace garden easily over towered the girl. She was hunched over on the dirt, tracing figures on the ground with a twig she picked from the floor.

Even though she was simply just focusing on her little games, her lavender mercury eyes had a twinge of sadness. She looked as harmless as a little leaf on the ground. Her short indigo hair cut in a round shaped bowl cut hang loosely by her soft cheek as she hung her head low.

The reason Hinata was hiding in the garden without anyone looking over her was the handmaid's instruction for her to hide, in case the king's wrath chooses her as a scapegoat.

The little princess did not deserve to be the object of the king's wrath at his inability to sire a son. So even though she wanted to be by her mother and baby sister's side, she had no choice but to hide in the maze-like garden.

When she focused on drawing the stick figures, she heard a voice that made her eyes light up in recognition, "Princess Hinata!"

She quickly dropped the stick that she was playing with so intently for an hour. She stood up, "Neji ni san!" She saw Neji racing towards her and she felt her heart swell up, almost painfully, in happiness. It was not often the boy could come to her in their secret place as he was bombarded with hours of studying in the temple and training with his father. _Today must be my lucky day,_ she thought.

The nine year old boy who towered over her by a head stood by her side. "Hinata sama, I have been looking everywhere for you."

A soft pink blush suffused over the bridge of her round nose. "I-I" she stuttered, "thought you were busy today!"

Neji grinned to see the elation on her face, "I was supposed to, but Hiashi sama came so my lessons were cut short! And that's how I came to see you!" He talked so fast that he did not realize what disastrous implications his words held.

At his words, the girl's smile fell. It felt as if she was hearing shards of glass breaking on the marble tile floor. Her eyes widened, "Father...came back?" She let go of the warm grasp she held over his hands. Color waned from her dainty features, especially her rosy cheeks. Her round face paled like a ghost.

The boy's eyes widened at her sudden change in attitude. He did not know what could have occasioned this swift change. Then he quickly realized his blunder.

He tried to remedy his mistake but he wasn't given a chance. She already knew.

"Father came," Hinata hung her head low, her side fringes swept by her round cheeks, "And he...didn't ask for my attendance."

_He asked for yours_ was the tacit accusation that Hinata was too soft to throw at his face. But it was still there.

Neji's complexion paled. He made a mistake. There was no longer excitement between the boy and girl hovering in the air, but thick, icy tension--the same kind that permeated between his father and the king. He didn't like it and he had to fix this.

"His majesty," the nine year old tried to redress his mistake, "must have been busy tending to the queen's health."

But seeing her downtrodden demeanor, he knew he failed and chewed anxiously on his bottom lip. Both of them well knew of the queen's "failure" to produce a male heir, so there was no way the king would take care of her.

"Neji ni san," her voice was soft and delicate like a feather, "i-it's okay...You are father's favorite, and i-it's not your fault. Please don't feel bad." Her eyes shone gently with understanding as she struggled to make a reassuring smile at the boy.

His face refused to lighten up despite her comforting words.

She poked her index fingers together, suddenly feeling remorseful for making her blameless cousin feeling at edge.

Neji's brows creased, "Hinata sama, don't say that." He spoke in a placating tone.

"Here," he quickly pulled something from the pocket of his tunic, "actually, his majesty told me to give you this."

On his palm was a hairband of scarlet threads interwoven with gold. Hinata's eyes widened.

She couldn't hide the slight suspicion in her voice, "But...my hair's too short for this, Neji ni-san."

He insisted, "You could use this as a bracelet till your hair grows long."

When he saw her blush prettily, he finally smiled this time.

He reached out his right hand, and Hinata drew out hers. Then he slipped the bracelet over her wrist.

He looked as if he accomplished something major, "See?"

Hinata looked down on her wrist and didn't say anything for a moment. The red and gold hairband shone like a spangle over her delicate pale wrist. Suddenly feeling unsure at her prolonged silence, Neji swallowed.

Then she lifted her eyes to him. She saw through the stiffness in his smile. She knew that Neji ni was good at everything except one thing—lying.

She felt ashamed of feeling jealous, even for a moment, of Neji's ability to win her father's affection and approval.

She made the brightest smile she could muster, "So fa-father does care for me! Thank you, Neji ni-san!"

He smiled back. When she looked at his eyes, she thought she was looking at twin crescent moons. The soft breeze blew strands of his brown hair across his face.

The eight year old Hinata was not good at describing beautiful smiles, but she knew it was like seeing white doves soar to the turquoise sky or sunflowers blooming in endless meadows. It was like warmth slowly coming back to bring life back to her very being. His smile brought every senses within her to spark like little firelights.

She had to admit. Even at the age of nine, Neji was superior.

"Thank you, Neji ni-san."

But the peace that finally transcended on them shattered when they heard her handmaiden rush to her, "Princess Hinata! Princess!"

When they saw the handmaiden's pale face, Hinata shrank back and Neji stepped forward, his arm automatically stretched out before her.

His voice was even and slightly cold, "What is it?" The handmaiden looked at both children's faces and paled. A strange premonition dawned on them. The sunny garden suddenly seemed to be enclosed by dark dreary shadows. Neji felt Hinata's squeeze on his loose indigo tunic that covered his torso.

The handmaiden bowed before them, burying her face in her hands. Tears slid down her arms, "The...the queen..."

Both children froze, and it felt like time was suspended. When the handmaiden completed her words, Hinata collapsed to the ground on her knees.

Her eyes turned vacant at the shock. Neji barked at the handmaiden who was forced to be the bearer of the news, "That can't be true. The queen was alive and well just a moment ago!"

But that was when the two learned that death could come at a second. Alive a second ago, but dead and crossing Styx river the next.

Hinata buried her face in the ground. She felt like dropping into a deep hole, the harrowing sounds of the wind ringing at her ear. In the distant, she could hear Neji calling her name. She desperately held onto that one voice, that strong, sturdy tree to hang on in the middle of the tempest, and when she came back to her senses, she found herself in funeral clothes, sobbing uncontrollably in his arms. They were sitting on the steps of the temple of Kaguya. The funeral chants about their patron goddess Kaguya welcoming her children reverberated through the white marble building. The two children huddled on the marble steps, forgotten by the people. It was a strange day. They both felt cold even though it was the middle of summer.

Through muffled sobs, Hinata managed to say, "Neji ni-san, it hurts so much. It hurts..."

She remembered what her guardian Kou said in a gentle voice as he held her.

"_Hinata sama, you must no longer cry anymore. Far greater challenges are awaiting you. Please don't cry. You have to be strong. You're the first princess of Cretes, the woman with the highest authority in the kingdom."_

_"I-I don't know such things, Kou," the child huddled in a ball in his arms, "I-I just want mother, mother-"_

_Kou sighed, "Then be invisible, Hinata sama," he stroked her hair, "be invisible, so nobody will see your tears. It will keep you safe-"_

When she buried her tear-drenched face on her knees, she heard a gentle voice, "I'm sorry, Hinata sama." That is all the nine year old could say, "I am really sorry." She turned her face, still nestled on her knees, to see the turmoil in his eyes from the peripheral. His long hair swept by his face that looked down at her. And for some strange reason, the little girl felt comfort in seeing the stormy look in his face. She was not alone in this storm. For once, she was not alone, not told to be stronger, not told to be something she was not. She had somebody who chose to be with her. It told her that she was visible. He sees her. And if _he_ is the one who sees her, she told herself, nothing else really mattered.

* * *

A low male voice called her name, "Hinata."

Hinata's lavender tinted eyes fringed with long lashes opened wide.

She turned to see Sasuke. They were in the middle of the village street, surrounded by market stalls made of wood. Thick trunks were used to buttress the tents. He was looking down at her with concern. She blushed, embarrassed to find herself spaced out in the middle of the streets.

She recalled what caused her to conjure the memory of her mother's death. The sight of the young mother and her child in the market submerged her in deep, dark memories.

Her mother's death when she was eight came as a huge shock to her. She still wasn't sure if it was death by fatigue or suicide. As soon as the mourning was over, she remembered desperately trying to be the right mother figure to her infant sister, protecting her against her father's unjust wrath. Hanabi and her smiles and coos to her when she was a baby helped her to survive and find meaning in the chaos.

It was not just her mother or sister she remembered. She also remembered something else, but she desperately tried to shove the memory down. She told herself, I managed to not remember him today. I will continue to efface this memory. I could. I could do it.

It was Sasuke's firm voice that jolted her back to the present.

She swam back to the surface, her present.

When Sasuke kept staring at her, she tilted her head to a side and made a reassuring smile, "I'm sorry. I-it must be the heat."

She hoped her reddened cheeks would be taken as sign of the sweltering summer weather.

He looked down at her for a moment and then said, "Is there something else we need?"

Hinata knew that he was in fact asking her if _she_ needed anything.

She hummed thoughtfully, her gaze with a faraway look. A grey headress concealed half of her face. Then she said, "olive oil."

He nodded, and ever indulgent, walked with her towards the village's oil craftsman.

As they headed to the oil mill, which was a tent covered with white camel skin, they felt the heat of the brick ovens with the long snouts emitting gushes of heat. Sasuke wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist, and Hinata fanned herself as the heat bellowed aggressively.

Sasuke looked at how the heat was taking a toll on her, "Wait outside. It is too hot in here."

She desperately wanted to be outside and feel the cool breeze blown by the mountainside. But it was her idea to get olive oil, so she felt that she should share the burden, "I c-could wait."

He flicked her on the forehead, "Wait outside." His gesture was playful but his tone brooked no barter.

Her forehead throbbed, and she stared at him temporarily in surprise at his impish behavior.

Soon she sighed and turned, touching her forehead, "this will be the last time this works, Sasuke. You can't use my forehead against me."

Her voice was calm and quiet, but she narrowed her milky orbs at him.

He noncommittally hummed, his arms crossed as he watched her huff as she went out.

The oilsmith joked, "Your bride has sass, Sasuke. She was so quiet before, but now she is quite a little titmouse."

When Sasuke didn't say anything but glared suspiciously at the oilsmith, he added shrewdly with a sly smirk, "It means she is at ease with you."

He withdrew his glare and rolled his eyes as if the oilsmith said something absurd, but a smirk tugged at the end of his mouth.

Unaware of the exchange about her, Hinata watched the crowds go as she waited outside.

She saw a little girl run errands, and two middle aged women barter over exchanging three chickens with a calf.

Then she heard a low male voice bellowing theatrically, "Father killer!" and a woman's shrill voice, "Murderess!"

She froze. She almost dropped her bag made of hemp ropes to the ground. Palpitations of her heart assaulted her with full force, and her fingers trembled. She grabbed her skirt till her knuckles turned white.

Her chest constricted and suddenly she forgot to breath. No amount of oxygen could sooth the harsh respiration.

She slowly moved to see where the voice came from. She barely breathed.

But soon her shoulders relaxed when she saw what it was.

It was a puppet's play. She breathed out a sigh of relief and quickly covered her hot face with her hands, "Oh, gods."

When she raised her face from her hands, she couldn't help but stare at the ragged dolls' drama occurring above a hastily constructed oak scaffold.

The play had quite a throng of spectators, all ranging in the age spectrum, but the majority were children of about seven to fourteen years old.

A young spectator yelled, "Die, you witch!"

Hinata watched the play dryly. It felt strange--watching little children who have never known murder shouting for her death. It felt as if the play wasn't even about her.

The play was at the climactic moment--the part where the brave, valiant prince cuts down the evil first princess who killed her father, the great, wise king.

A puppet doll with long brown hair that surprisingly resembled Neji drew out its sword. Hinata watched the puppet pierce the doll with long black hair.

The doll with long black strings as her hair was meant to represent her--the evil first princess who committed the worse crime to humanity--patricide.

The most noticeable trait about the long black haired doll was the red slits for the eyes. It surly looked demonic.

Red symbolized bloodshed and cruelty, and she couldn't help but bitterly smile at the crude representation. She told herself that it was a relief that the doll did not resemble her, except for her dark hair.

The prince pierced the red eyed evil princess with his sword, and dices of red radishes spilled from the rag doll's chest.

The children cheered at the representation of blood shed, and Hinata merely stared apathetically. But she couldn't help her hands from squeezing painfully into fists. She didn't feel anger—rather she felt numb.

She heard the villagers whisper, "The princess did die, did she?"

"Of course. Such a evil woman should never lift her face."

"I heard she was exiled to a deserted island and died of starvation."

"Who knows. Only the king and the royals."

When she felt drowned in the strangers' voices, she suddenly felt a firm grasp on her shoulder. Her blood ran ice cold.

She whirled around and jerked away from the grasp. Her shocked pale eyes met surprised dark ones.

Sasuke looked momentarily speechless by the sudden way she jerked out of his touch. He seemed to be at lost for words.

Hinata realized her blunder, "Oh, I'm sorry! I-I thought you were someone else."

His brows slightly furrowed, "Hinata." He paused for a moment, "are you okay?"

He pressed the palm of his hand against her forehead, "You look anxious."

"Ah-ah, no," she rubbed her own forehead with a bit of exaggeration, "It must be the heat! We-we should go home!"

She used the word "home" purposefully to change the subject. At the mention of "home," Sasuke seemed visibly relaxed, his posture less tense, but still his face looked concerned.

Feeling a pang of guilt for being manipulative, Hinata smiled and grasped his hand gently, "Let's go home." She was wheedling him, she knew, but she wanted to get themselves out of there before he suspected anything strange.

* * *

As they hiked up the mountains, Sasuke went forward. The reason he went forward was to clear out any hindrances and show her which rocks or soft spots of soil she should step on to scale the precipice. Once, he even cleared the pathway for her by getting rid of a snake that was nestling in the middle of the forests. She remembered how he broke a branch and lifted the snake and tossed it off to the side as if it was a worm, while she was close to fainting.

She looked at him and wondered in silence. _Should I ask him?_

"Sa-Sasuke?"

He stopped and turned slightly. He silently asked her what was in her mind.

Drawing courage from his attention, she asked tentatively, "Sasuke...what do you think...of the first princess?"

Even someone who led such a secluded lifestyle as Sasuke knew of the story about the first princess who murdered her father.

He said nonchalantly, "They say she killed her own father."

His dark eyes glanced at her. Hinata tried to not show her nervousness.

Then he shrugged, "It is surprising to me that nobody knows what happened to her. She might as well died."

There was no moralistic judgment in his voice, nor curiosity of the cursed princess's fate. Just indifference.

It was very Sasuke of him, but she didn't know why she felt such a pang of disappointment stabbing at her chest.

Hinata forced herself to smile, "Yes, def-definitely."

* * *

The hot humid weather even penetrated into the depths of the forests where they resided. The forest was usually cool, but the hot wind infiltrated every nook and cranny of their hut, and it felt suffocating to even just stand still underneath the trees.

Hinata really felt the need for a bath.

So when Sasuke told her that they should go to the creek, she was overjoyed and took his and her spare clothes.

It was their daily ritual to take turns keeping watch and bathing.

So she followed Sasuke to the creek by the white poplar trees to take her regular bath. But to her shock and huge disappointment, they faced a dried up creek.

With an apathetic facade, Sasuke lightly kicked a pebble that was sitting in the bottom of the dried creek.

He swept his forehead with the back of his forehead and squinted as he gazed at the blinding sun, "We're going somewhere else."

She was surprised. _Was possible to find a spot to take a bath? _She thought the creek was the only place that offered fresh water.

He stated, "It is a bit deeper into the forests." He glanced at her, "do you think you will be fine with the travel?"

She nodded, but she couldn't answer in enthusiasm because of the immense heat sucking energy from every marrow of her being.

He looked at her, his brows furrowed. Before, Hinata would have thought that he was frowning because he felt inconvenienced. She used to be afraid whenever he frowned. But now, she had the belief that he was concerned for her.

He turned and she obediently followed. He threaded through the twisted vines and rocks and protruding roots as if he was one with the elements.

Even though she was not as graceful, she managed to keep her pace. Living in the forests and navigating her way was hard at first, but she became accustomed to the forest paths.

He encouraged her, "We're almost there."

As he went up a particularly steep part, he turned and stretched his hand. Her pale small hand grasped his, and he lifted her up and they safely landed on level ground.

Hinata was simply relieved to be walking on level footing. The coolness of the shades provided by the canopy above also kept her happy and content instead of frustrated and stressed for the rest of the travel. As they walked, she saw some small purple flowers, the size of the tiny bronze coin that was the minimal currency in Cretes.

When she paused to gently touch the purple flowers, Sasuke stopped and watched. Thinking that she was stalling him, she quickly retracted her touch.

Before she could utter an apology, Sasuke said in a monotone, "You really like flowers."

She felt suddenly bashful, "Th-they're beautiful." She spoke slightly defensively.

He stared at her without a word. Hinata sensed a change in the way he looked at her, almost as if he was calculating something. It made her slightly nervous.

She almost felt as if he could see through her heart. His gaze was sharp and piercing.

But he turned and kept going without a word.

When they arrived, Hinata couldn't help but stand in awe of the new spot. It was a pond that was worth the envy of water nymphs. There was a roughly circular pool of clear green water, speckled with the pink lotuses and bulbous water hyacinths floating on the surface. Water lilies the color of light blue floated tranquilly.

She knelt down and caused ripples on the smooth green water with her fingers. She felt giddy at the prospect of diving into the water.

Sasuke stared down at her reflection on the water, "It's a nice place, but it takes a while to get here."

Her eyes were transfixed by the beauty,"How did you find such place?"

"By accident," he turned around and sauntered off a few feet away from the pond, "I will keep watch. Go ahead."

She didn't need to be told twice. "Th-thank you," she hurriedly discarded her dress. The fabric pooled down at her ankles, and she stepped out naked. Even though she knew nobody was watching, she crossed her arms over her breasts.

She carefully tapped the surface of the water with her big toe. Then she slowly submerged her pale calf into the green water.

She heard Sasuke warn her in a raised voice, "Be careful of the rocks in the bottom."

"I-I'll be careful-"

She heard him grunt and she smiled secretively.

The water was delightfully cold and a shock of icy chill ran across her spine. It was so hot that the water's coolness felt deeply welcoming.

It took her a few moments to finally get her torso under water, but when she did, she quickly submerged herself head deep into the water.

She soared up the surface with a bounce, feeling the wet mud cool underneath her toes. Even the sensation of the mud underneath her toes gave her childish bliss. It felt like stepping on soft, pliant dough. The feeling of the cold water lapping at her skin was so delicious that she started bouncing up and down in quiet joy.

A pink lotus with spear shaped petals caught her eye and she waded towards the flower. To her delight, she saw more white water lilies floating.

The aquatic scent of water lilies drifted in the air and delighted her. She lifted her black curtain of a hair with her slender arms and tossed it to a sideway knot and squeezed the excess moisture.

But she still remembered Sasuke's warning to be careful of big rocks. She waded carefully and deliberately in the water, and then she felt the smooth sliminess of a big rock right in front of her. The moist green lichen and moss contributed to the strange sensation of sliminess of the rock. It bewildered her but also fascinated her.

Feeling adventurous, she stood on top of the high rock and looked around her. Only her legs were in the water. She looked up at the tall oak trees surrounding the pond and saw the leaves' shadows dance on her breasts and torso. She scooped up a handful of water and splashed herself. She wiped across her neck with her hand. Her long indigo hair was plastered to her spine.

She watched her hands dipping into the murky green water and scoop up the crystal clean water from the depths.

With the scoop of water in her hands, she closed her eyes and lifted her chin and breathed in the clear air.

The sunlight gleamed on her wet body, the light travelling across the curve of her spine down to her buttocks to her smooth thighs.

Her wet eyelashes sparkled in the light, and her lips were opened slightly like a chaste lily bud.

She was so absorbed by the quiet, beautiful scenery that nothing could obstruct her joy and concentration.

So when she glanced at Sasuke's direction, she was startled to see him watching her with an inscrutable expression.

She felt heat rise to her cheeks, but she also stared back at him, as if she was challenging him. She was sure her cheeks were turning red, but she felt strangely bold and defiant as he stared at her.

Maintaining his stoic demeanor, he walked towards her. She felt her heart palpitate for every step he was getting closer.

She balked and stepped back. She wonderee if something was amiss with him. Before, Sasuke never impinged on her privacy when she was taking a bath. He always resolutely turned his back to her while she was bathing. She thought he would continue to practice such decency even though they were married. She never expected the stoic man to suddenly act so shamelessly.

The shameless man squatted over the bank and rested his elbows on his knees, fixing his gaze on her face. He rested his temple on his knuckles and tilted his head to a side and watched.

Feeling defeated, Hinata submerged into the water, only her opalescent eyes peering above the surface. She blinked. Her dark indigo hair spread across the surface like saturated satin. She hoped the coldness of the water would chase away the redness of her face.

He broke the silence. He spoke in a monotone, but there was a weight to every syllable he uttered, "Come here, Hinata."

Hinata hesitated. Her milky eyes fluttered above the green water, and her gaze darted to the side.

But when her eyes drifted back to him, she felt magnetized to his fiery gaze.

She grabbed a nearby lily pad, the size of a big fan, and used it to keep her modesty when she lifted herself halfway from the water.

Dark eyes, so pure in its blackness, stared at her naked form, saved for the dark green lily pad for her breasts.

He lifted his roughened hand and pressed his palm against her wet cheek. She, at first, started, but soon learned to rest into his caress, tilting her head to a side to press her cheek against his palm. A bead of water dropped from her cheek down to his hand and arm.

Gazing into her, he said quietly, "Beautiful."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8 Pyramus and Thisbe

A/N: I don't own Naruto.

A/N: If you know the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, the ancient Greek Romeo and Juliet, also the title of this chapter, the wall references will make more sense! Thank you.

* * *

They say that mortals should never covet divine creatures as their wives. There were plenty of myths about men who faced tragic endings because they claimed nymphs from the woods or the sea.

Hylas, one of the Argonauts and Herakles' friend, was kidnapped by beautiful water nymphs when he was drawing water from the pond and was never seen again. Orpheus, the famous musician played his golden harp to Hades to bring back his wife Eurydice, the lovely dryad. But he lost his wife and was later stoned to death by maenads, Dionysus's female followers. A shepherd bought the wrath of Artemis by wedding one of her followers who later killed him thinking he was unfaithful.

Yet, nymphs continued to be the perfect women from men's dreams, haunting every nook and cranny of lonely men's hearts with soft whispers, cherry lips, and fair skin. It was the rite of passage for Greek youths to at least have a single incident of dreaming about a nymph.

Sasuke who used to scoff at his friend's juvenile and exaggerated stories never thought he would believe in the legends until he saw Hinata.

But instead of soft whispers like a chattering breeze, she stuttered like a frightened child. But even her stutter couldn't take away the cozy feeling her soft voice imparted to her listener. She spoke as if she was whispering into the ear of her friend after seeing something strange. She didn't sing like the legendary dryads-she hummed a low rhythm. And instead of mischievous flirtation, she would look at him with sad doe-like eyes, as if she was begging for something.

Despite her artlessness, Sasuke knew that if Hinata asked for his heart with eyes like hers, drowning men in their depths, he will put it out for her. And beneath the winsome doe-like eyes and the pouty lips shut in a graceful curve, she was petite but her small size only amplified the mesmerizing effect of her generous curves that dipped and rounded like a potter's art.

He coveted her like no other woman. Before they tied the knot, he coveted her and it felt like sacrilege to even look at her and admire her, craving for a physical and emotional connection. At night, he would fantasize about approaching her bed, touching her smooth body, licking her unbelievably luminous skin, pounding into her while she moaned his name and gasped in pleasure. At day, he would hope for a single glance from her, knowing by instinct that she was somehow superior to him. He detected that the woman he found had grace, class, and impeccable taste, and was incompatible with the life in a humble hut in the wild mountains. She was never arrogant, no, she was modest and humble, always wanting to be of some help and assistance to her savior.

But the way she moved, the way she closed her eyes and smiled when smelling flowers and taking a breath of fresh air, the way she tried to protect her modesty, the perfect and cool-headed way she bowed her head in gratitude towards him in polite silence—for a runaway slave, she was too refined and polished. She was grace incarnate. He couldn't believe that she was groomed to be a sick aristocrat's toy, but at the same time, he knew the perverse part of his nature would never let her go if he had her as well. Despite her life as a slave, she must have only seen fine things—house like a castle, fine clothes, fine food. For the first time ever in his life, he felt ashamed of his status and way of life.

He knew that even though he tried his best to satisfy her needs, deep down, she must be comparing her previous life with the one with him. She did not do it on purpose, but he saw it in the way she would flinch at moments that were everyday life to him but alien to her. He always felt that Hinata was too good for him. Even though she was a slave, she must have been used to upper class lifestyle and luxuries while he was just a hunter who lived off the woods and never had the ambition to be more than what he was.

That was why he half-forcefully urged the beautiful nymph to take his unworthy hand in marriage. The experienced hunter in him used her sweet nature to not want to hurt others and the fact that she wants to repay him for saving her. It was cowardly of him, he knew, but he had to have her. He couldn't bear the fact that the beautiful dryad wanted to give birth to the child of the sick monster—possibly even loved him even if she was not aware of her own feelings. If she said she wanted to go back to her home...he had to stop her and tie her down. So tie her down, he did.

It was pure bliss to finally have her in his arms, to be able to claim her and bend her over to his will and desires. She was perfect, worlds better than he could ever dream of. He had her over and over again. In a moment of weakness, he kissed her forehead and top of her head tenderly, whispering her name reverently. In response, she kissed him back on his cheek carefully as if he was fragile, and withdrew with a red blush. It was not a passionate response of a woman in amorous desire or even lust, but it would have to do for the present. At least, it meant that she didn't dislike him.

So he tried to be the gentle, gallant lover, hoping it would ensnare her with a desire of a loving partner. He was never a lover to anybody, so he was clumsy and foolish. But, sometimes, it worked—she would respond with the most tender, delicious blush on her face and neck, acting like a young fawn when she collapsed in his arms and nuzzled close to him after making love . But he wanted more. He knew when a woman looked like when she was in love—he just avoided it because he was more preoccupied with day to day survival. However, he desperately craved for the same response from his wife even though he didn't show it outward.

But now, he wasn't so sure he could take it in.

Seeing Hinata, naked and bathing in the forests obstructed every sense of self resolve he had ever possessed. Her long dark hair fanned out like ebony silk over the pond, gliding only when she navigated her little peaceful territory in the waters. He saw a tiny freshwater fish glide through her dark hair. The green water gently splashed as she rose from the surface and lifted her hair above her shoulders with outstretched, bare arms. Her arms were the color of marble like the rest of her body. The cold water only heightened the paleness of her skin.

Slight goosebumps rose when he remembered how she looked on bed. His chest rose and fell as his heart palpitated. Warmth pooled below his leather belt over his tunic. Her round pale breasts with dusky pink nipples that he would love to touch were splashing water carelessly, as she moved her arms and twisted around. Yet despite the animalistic desires her luscious body stirred within him, her spellbinding eyes and her full, pink lips kept him in a hypnotic daze. Unaware of her effect on him, her lavender mercury eyes focused on a nearby wild strawberry shrub growing by the bank. She released her hair after squeezing the excess water as she totally forgot about him in her concentration. He occupied himself by watching her hands slide over the pale expanse of her thighs. There were wild raspberries, the color of sweet red strawberries, growing in the boundary between the grass and the water. She poked on a red berry, as if contemplating if it was edible.

Hinata in the green pond surrounded by lily pads and water hyacinths was one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen.

She raised halfway from the surface, and he could see her the water beading underneath her full breasts and the drops falling across her sinuous waist and the dip of her buttocks. Half of her bottom submerged in the green water.

When she finally noticed his gaze, he saw her cheeks turning red, a beautiful color heightened by the marble pureness of her complexion.

Her eyes widened at first but then she stared back at him, in an unexpectedly stoic demeanor that surprised him. It was as if she was reprimanding him without words. Sasuke almost laughed. It would have worked, if not for the growing redness of her face that betrayed her. He wanted to see her entire body grow red.

Sasuke leaned his temple on his fingers and watched. He doubted that the goddess Kaguya would be as alluring as the naked Hinata.

He was impressed to see her holding out on her own as they continued staring at each other. But he knew that it was a matter of time before she broke down because of her shyness and hide from his gaze.

She was doing well, looking at him sternly, but she finally dove head-deep into the water. He immediately missed seeing her neck, her breasts and exquisite naval region. Only her spell-binding eyes were above the surface, watching him, narrowing at him in disapproval.

He hid his chuckle with his hand. He wanted to tease her, tell her that she looked like a frog.

Gloating on his victory, he called for her, "Come here, Hinata."

He found out that she could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be. Her eyes darted anxiously around as if to find a way to escape.

When she found no such escape route, she against narrowed her eyes at him. _Sly-_her eyes seemed to accuse him.

Then she plucked a round lily pad. At first, Sasuke did not know what the use was for.

But she soon waded towards him and gradually appeared above the surface, pressing the dark green lily pad against her breasts. His heart palpitated like a mad man's when he saw her innocent face turning crimson and her wet dark blue hair trailing across her beautiful figure that was wet from the bathing. He almost let out a strangled gasp from his longing, and he felt his chest pathetically beat the moment he saw her approach him.

When she was close enough, he detected a whiff of water lilies from her wet hair. Her face was flushed red from the coldness of the air and embarrassment at being so close to him, while her large lavender mercury eyes gazed back at him. He stared back at her.

When he reached out his hand towards her cheek, she started at first, but soon relaxed into his hand, closing her eyes. Her dark eyelashes were wet from the bath, and her rosy lips were closed. Water was dripping from her dark indigo hair.

There was only one modifier his limited vocabulary could come up with. He uttered, "Beautiful."

At his word, she started, and he felt the jump of her wet hair across his fingers. Another woman might gift him with a ravishing smile, at his, what was to him, lavish praise, but Hinata was too shy. But it was her shyness that stroked the fire of desire in him and his hands carefully reached out. Her eyes with long lashes beaded with moisture drifted down slightly, unaware of his hands that were about to seize her.

Hoisting her up by grabbing beneath her underarms, he fished her out of the green pool. Her back fell flat on the mossy bank, and the sunlight hit her wet, pale torso. Her naked body almost looked slimy under the sun rays cascading between the canopy. Her lavender hues jerked up to him in surprise.

He laid her down on the bank and started touching her entire body, his hand raking the entire length of her side, massaging her ample breasts beaded with moisture, rubbing the pale expanse of her thighs.

When she writhed and squirmed, her arms twisting in her attempt to block his gaze from her face, he murmured, "So shy..." when she covered her face with the back of her hand, he couldn't read the expression of her face. Framing her covered face, her long blue hair sprawled across the water bank, the ends dipping into the green pool.

When the water nymph kept struggling, he pressed his hand against her left inner thigh and pinned her to the forest bed. The girl whimpered but she could not help her body being exposed to her captor's hungry gaze as he loomed over her like a predator.

When her luminous body spread out before him, he licked his lips and stared down at her breathless. He was in a daze, as if he was drugged. He unconsciously murmured praises, "so pretty..." His eyes fell on her slightly shocked lavender eyes, her gaping lips that glistened by the moisture, her creamy throat, but when his gaze fell down to her breasts, he found himself latching onto her rosy brown nipple without thought, more pulled by instinct's call. Her back arched and she let out a keening whine at the sudden feel of a molten mouth latching onto her nipple.

He sucked on more force than he should have, earning a panicked cry from his water nymph. He opened his eyes and made eye contact, as he apologetically covered her pale sensitive mound with tender kisses. He saw the tears pricking on the edge of her lavender eyes that looked down at him in surprise, fear, and arousal. His hand reached to cup her lovely face and he placed his lips on hers. His thumb rubbed off the tears that trickled down her face. She smelled like fresh lotus flowers. His hands touched her trembling side as to comfort her, soothing her tremors that ran across her chest and thighs. "You're mine now," he rasped, "I claimed you-"

At his possessive words, she twisted to a side, turning her back on him, shielding her breasts from his hovering eyes. Her long dark blue hair stuck to the pleasing curve of her spine that dipped into the crevice of her hips, causing his mortal heart to ache. She looked as if she was bidding her opportunity to dive back into the dark green pool—the cunning siren. But he wound his powerful arm across her abdomen and held on her shoulder, pulling her body flush to his chest. When she glanced back at him with her glassy lavender eyes, studying him quietly as a stranger, he felt as if his heart was going to break with longing, his entire being screaming that he wanted her. With his free hand, he hurried to remove his trousers and free his raging erection. The cold air by the waterbank did little to calm his throbbing cock that poked at her hips in search of her entrance. Shutting his eyes, he impulsively buried his lips into her wet hair, right behind her burning ear.

Warm air puffed from his lips and turned into mist at the cold atmosphere. In a heartbeat, he entered the flushed female, who was standing on four, her hands gripping on the grass, knees pushing into the mud. His controlled thrusts ripped out a strangled cry from her throat, and he continued pounding into her. Buried in her succulent warmth, he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. He withdrew from her slightly and then entered her soft milky walls that hugged him in return. Even though he knew it was simply a biological reaction, he couldn't help but feel soft and mushy inside— as if she was accepting every part of him—the ugly, the possessive, the gentle, the inglorious and tender parts that made him. And when he tasted that feeling of acceptance from her, he met his greatest peak of desire and pleasure.

When he withdrew after achieving the height, he turned her around, placing her back on the forest bed. He placed his lips on her left armpit, buried himself to her neck, and took in deep breaths. He felt her wrap her arms around him and play with his spiky hair. He eased further into her arms. Her rough breathing ruffled the black strands on the crown of his head.

He heard her call him softly, "Sasuke..."

The water nymph embraced him.

* * *

_Something was a bit strange_, Hinata thought. _Why was she sitting on Sasuke's lap? When did he strip and join the green pool with her?_

She heard the gentle sound of splashing water as he rested his arm on the bank. She gasped once she felt his skin between her legs, letting her sit between his thighs as her back pressed against his hard chest. She blubbered with embarrassment at first—they just did the _deed—and in the outdoors. _She tried to squirm out of his hold but he merely tightened his fingers around her arms and held her still.

"Hmm..." a low rumbling sound of contentment came from his throat as he nuzzled her hot earlobe affectionately. She was sure she was flushing red again.

She felt his long legs intertwine with hers in the depths of the water. She could make out the shape of their knees in the murky green water.

A light blue water lily floated and caught her eye. His eyes followed the line of her sight and fell on the flower too. She tugged the flower close to her and held the stem, bringing the light blue blossom close to her nose. She smiled brightly. She always thought that water lilies were to be admired from a distance, so she was pleased to stroke them and touch them.

He cocked his head in interest and wound his arms around her shoulders.

Thinking that he wanted her attention, she turned her eyes away from the light blue water lily to a pair of deep dark eyes.

She smiled and lifted the flower to his nose, but he merely shook his head at the offer. She then wondered if he might be needing assistance, like washing his back.

"Do you...need anything?" She asked with a smile.

"No," he answered, his intense dark eyes boring into hers. "I just want to stay like this."

Her eyes widened as she saw him affectionately lay his head by her wet shoulder. She never saw him so cuddly like this before. He was always sweet, always thoughtful and caring, and even showed unexpected outbursts of passion, but this time, he looked as endearing as a little child. She supposed submerging in the cool pond had a calming effect on the man.

Seeing him so sweet and vulnerable, laying his head on her shoulder called forth Hinata's protective, maternal instincts, and she reached out her hand and rubbed his neck gently.

When he started and rose quickly from his languid, relaxed state, she blushed and quickly explained, "I-I didn't mean to surprise you. I thought you might want me to help you wash. S-Since you came to the pool." She frowned. He just bedded her in the middle of the forest, but he could act so shy in unexpected times.

His dark eyes narrowed at her, "Are you saying I am dirty?"

"No," she giggled, "but a scrub never hurts anybody." She added cheekily. Unable to keep the mirth from her soft voice, her lavender eyes glittered with amusement. He looked at her bemused by her cheekiness.

"Fine," he crossed his arms. "Then help me wash." Hinata stared at the mischievous smirk that pulled along his lips. She could almost read his thoughts like the back of her hand. He was thinking that she was going to turn bright red like an apple and stutter like she was in the middle of a typhoon.

She hummed. _We'll see about that._

Instead, she scooped a handful of water with her hands and gently saturated his neck. To her satisfaction, his smirk dissolved quickly and his dark eyes looked slightly shocked.

She gently massaged the knots of the back of his neck and with her other hand scooped more water to his neck. She continued the same movements until she was sure that she did a thorough job washing his neck. She felt the weight of his gaze as he stared at her face, but she instead concentrated on washing his neck with tender care.

She avoided looking straight at his entire face. Even to this day, Sasuke's face still had an intimidating aura, and she was not good at facing him directly.

Then she heard his low voice, "Hinata."

Lavender eyes looked at him in question.

Redness seeped into her cheeks when his dark eyes locked with hers, "you don't have to do anything."

* * *

_-past-_

Ever since she was three when they first met, Hinata always viewed Neji as a hero. At the age of eight, she was always fascinated by the tales of gods, goddesses, and heroes. As Neji matured, he resembled the kind of hero she would hear about in the bards' tales-the equivalent to Herakles and Achilles. He could swim in the greatest depths of the sea, excelled in martial arts including archery, wrestling, and sword arts, read Greek like the back of his palm, and was even learning how to speak and read Egyptian and Persian. He gave her the prettiest seashell he found in the deepest marine depths, one of his many quests that added to his _aristeia (_glory, honor). When he shoot the arrow, it would always hit the mark no matter the distance, and soon at the age of nine, he rode his horse and won his first prize in the royal family's ceremonial fox hunt that held every summer in honor of Artemis. Hinata secretly felt a little dejected when everyone, except Kou-one of the king's main advisors and her royal tutor, compared Neji's caliber to her lack. However, what gave her a slightly stronger pang was that Neji seemed to be getting farther away from her reach.

She noticed how Neji always seemed to be surrounded by the elites of the nation and princes and princesses of neighboring countries. But in her eyes, even though he might sometimes be the youngest in the gathering, he seemed to shine the brightest. But even surrounded by his powerful friends, advisors, and often adoring fans, his eyes stayed locked in front of him as if he simply tolerated them.

She was always far off, her hands clasped behind her back as she watched the group, being the child who was always let out.

At that time, her biggest happiness was when he would catch a glimpse of her, make the most genuine smile, and wave his hand. All feeling of loneliness and isolation would be dispelled at that simple wave like the sun chasing the shadows, and she would wave back as if he was the hero of the legends and she a humble admirer.

And whenever she heard him call "Hinata sama," she couldn't help but fill joy at how his unwavering warmth and closeness. Neji never looked at her with contempt even if the royal main did. He was always kind and respectful and warm.

But she couldn't help but miss the old times he would race with her in the flower fields or the deep water marshes under the supervision of Kou. That was when she was about the age of four, and she could remember the melange of colors, the splash of the sun, the orange groves. Kou would yell, "Be careful!" but the man's warning would be drowned in the children's laughter that was like the summer sea.

Neji was her window to the outside world. Whenever he came back from outside Knossos, he brought back little trinkets of the outside world-be it a handkerchief with that nation's emblem or exotic candies.

One time, in her room, they squatted over the floor and spread the many colorful handkerchiefs that he gifted her. The colorful silks draped across the light green veins of the pure marble floor.

The little eight year old girl furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked at a handkerchief that had a stylized representation of a orange fox with nine tails, standing on its powerful hind legs and spreading its long claws that looked like eagle's talons.

Hinata looked at Neji, her eyes wide in curiosity, "s-so Namekaze worships a beast as a god? Bu-but we catch foxes!"

She hoped this wouldn't cause a diplomatic problem between the two countries.

He shook his head, "Kurama is not an ordinary fox like the ones in our forests, Hinata sama. He is a demon."

Her lips gaped, "De-demon?" Demons were even worse than titans in her book._ Why would such a powerful country worship a demon?_

He spoke nonchalantly, "It might seem strange to Cretans, but there are many countries that do not serve the Olympian gods."

She was shocked to hear her nine year old cousin say such sacrilegious things as if they were simply facts. But she could not help but nod in morbid fascination.

Her tiny dimpled finger pointed at a handkerchief, one with black margins surrounding a red template. In the middle of a handkerchief was a big eye. The eye spooked her with the red irises and the three black pupils that reminded her of tadpoles with the tails.

"And this one..."

She pursed her lips in thoughtfulness. Neji patiently waited, his legs crossed on the floor, his hands grabbing his ankles.

"W-why would Mycenae worship a bo-body part?"

"If we are to compare, it would be like Cretes worshiping our eyes. The pupils are called "tomoes" and the eye is the "sharingan." It is a symbol of Mycenaean royalty. Legend says that the Mycenaean royalty inherited their eyes from Ares, the god of war. In their version, they refer to him as 'Madara.'"

Hinata mumbled, "Sh-sharingan..." She decided the keep the tadpole comparison to herself. It didn't seem too respectful to the people that prided in being the descendants of Ares.

"Ne-Neji ni"

Her soft voice leashed his attention. She felt his gaze on her face. His eyes looked at her in interest when her lips made a wide grin.

She turned around and crept to underneath her bed on her knees. Neji watched when she swayed her arm under the bed as if she was about to fish something.

As if she was holding a treasure, she picked out a small glass jar, covered with mint leaves. She wrapped it with the mint leaves to keep pests like ants away.

She handed the little treasure to Neji who peeled the mint leaf packaging and opened the jar, peering into the contents.

"I-I don't need your help to steal the honey tarts anymore," she smiled, "I-I made them."

She used to reach towards a jar of honey tarts with his help, her sitting on his shoulders as they teamed up to claim the forbidden sweets. When they succeeded, she popped the sweet into his mouth first before munching onto hers. Crumbs stuck to their little rosy lips.

When she looked at the unreadable expression of his stoic face, staring at the jar, she added quickly in fear that he did not like the gift, "I-I always a-accept things from you-and-"

A firm voice,"Hinata sama-"

She squeezed her eyes shut and bowed her head, "_I-I_ know you like bu-buckwheat noodles now-w-with_ dr-dried_ herring " She fidgeted with her fingers nervously. She didn't notice his shoulders going rigid.

He said, fierce, so she wouldn't protest it, invalidate herself in front of him, "Hinata sama-" she felt his bandaged hand cup her cheek-her eyes drifted down in embarrassment at the touch. She waited for him to continue.

He didn't say anything, only drew her towards him by cupping the back of her neck to bring her head up.

She felt her short hair covering her cheeks shift as his bandaged fingers touched her neck. A slight chill ran across the back of her neck, and her eyes widened. She couldn't even make a noise of surprise.

Closer, so that there was barely any space between their foreheads.

He pulled her towards him, inclining his bare forehead against hers.

"I'll never forget this," her entire being expanded in joy at his words, "Thank you."

* * *

Women in diaphanous muslin tunics carrying baskets of pomegranates chattered amongst themselves.

Crouching in the background of the garden that was structured like a maze, Hinata was sure the pomegranates will be very tart and sour.

But they were beautiful fruits that are rare for having stamens like red lilies, so they were used as indoor decorations in the court.

She overheard one of the maids saying, "The prince of Mycenae has finally arrived-"

"Finally," another handmaiden stretched her back and groaned, "weeks of preparation are finally over-"

"I heard that the first prince of Mycenae is very handsome,"

The handmaidens shared a sly glance and giggled. But their knowing glances and giggly laughter ceased when the head handmaiden appeared.

The head handmaiden crossed her arms and snorted haughtily, "It is the _youngest _prince who is coming. You lasses are more depraved than maneads. And you are all old enough to be his aunt!"

Hiding behind a tall laurel tree, Hinata overheard the news of the visit of the Mycenaenan prince to Knossos. It was supposed to be the most prestigious diplomatic affair of the year. But Hinata could not hope to have the glimpse of the prince and the beautiful ceremony that was supposed to greet him.

She sighed. She was just taking a short break from taking care of her baby sister Hanabi who cried a lot day and night. But now she was reminded of the reason she could not attend the festival despite being the first daughter of the king.

Hinata has always lived a sheltered life. Hiashi ordered that the royal women were to be separated in a specific quarter in the palace and zealously guarded his daughters' privacy. People thought that it was sign of paternal love and protection, but Hinata knew that her prideful father simply did not want the people to spread news of his first daughter, the stuttering mess.

She dusted her butt of the dirt with care as she rose. Then she reached an epiphany.

_I could ask Neji ni-san!_ Pure elation spread across her chest.

So she went to the training quarters of the palace. The training quarters were surrounding by towering yellow brick walls like a fortress. The space was divided into the three spaces: wrestling, archery, and sword arts. The wrestling quarter was filled with sand in the bottom to cushion the fall of the warriors. The space for sword arts was marked by wooden pillars installed at intervals across the expanse. Neji told her that the pillars were called "dummies," making her laugh. In the left, there were logs used as benches where the soldiers had lunch, polished their weapons, did push-ups, and other activities.

She spotted him, standing in the the sword arts quarter, turning his back to her. She was pretty close, just a few feet away, but he was not alone. He was with his father, appearing to have a conversation.

She heard his voice that she always loved hearing, "Yes, father. I was with Hinata-sama."

She was about to surprise them, but she then realized that she should maybe just keep her distance until their conversation was done.

The grim way Hizashi's jaws were set made her back away and hush herself, even though there was a low possibility that they will catch onto her eavesdropping.

She saw Hizashi drop to his left knee and grab the nine year old by his shoulders, "Neji, you must never, never plant such idea in Hinata sama's head."

The mention of her name startled her. She remembered her uncle to be kind and warm towards her, sometimes even petting her silken hair the way he does to his own son. However, the tone he adopted as he said her name made her sound like a threat.

Hizashi's voice thickened, making Hinata's chest constrict, "Don't you understand? You are-"

In a gentler tone, Hizashi tried to reason with his son, placing his hands over his shoulders that uncharacteristically stiffened,"You deserve so much more. Not Hinata sama."

Her fingers curled tight at the mention of her unworthiness. But she did not expect such sentiment to pass through her kind uncle's lips. Maybe his kindness was just pity, or worst, a ploy to ease her worries and her father's suspicion. But she decided to suspend such thoughts. She wanted to know what Neji thought.

She could only see Neji's back, but she could imagine the confusion etched in his brows when he did not understand something, "But father...my job is to serve Hinata sama. You told me that Hinata sama is my charge."

At his words, Hizashi dropped his hands that were placed on Neji's shoulders and stood up, looking sideways with a cold expression, "She is better fit to leave this nation, Neji."

"No!" the sudden and loud way he burst out that word was enough to startle even his father. Hinata never heard Neji speak out like that to Hizashi. "Father, I respect you and love you, but please don't speak of Hinata sama like that."

She couldn't help the warmth that spread across her chest at her advocate's fiery defense of her. And he defended her from his own father. _Thank you, Neji ni-_

Hizashi grimaced. He seemed upset at his son's noble heart. But then he seemed to have a change of mind. His brows softened, and he switched onto the expression of gentle, paternal affection instead.

"Let's stop with this serious conversation, Neji."

Hizashi bent over and his right hand reached out to grab his son's forehead, covering his eyes and swaying his head side to side. Neji forgot the tenseness of the situation before and laughed, "Father!" Despite what has passed, Hinata could not help but smile too. Hizashi would do that, holding his son's head in such teasing and paternal gesture, since Neji was four. She saw him do that since she was three. She knew that unlike her father, her uncle dearly loved his child. She was happy for Neji. He deserved a loving father and so much more.

_But sometimes, _she thought, _I wish I had a father like uncle too._

"Here, come here, my boy," Hizashi backed off and took on a battle stance, "Let your father show you how to fight."

But a look of hostility swept across Hizashi's face when he noticed a pair of lavender eyes watch them. Neji followed his father's line of sight and his grey hues widened to see her timidly stand a few feet away. Hizashi's hostility was quickly replaced with relief though when he noticed that it was just Hinata. Hinata made a sheepish smile, approaching them two and receiving their bows as if they did not just talk about her.

"I-I'm sorry to disturb," she apologized. "Ma-May I just borrow Neji ni-san's time?"

Hizashi nodded and moved away, giving them privacy. Hinata saw the way Neji's lips crinkled, as if he was hiding something from her. Her eyes dropped to the corner of his lip dropping to a firm line.

Neji usually greeted her with an impassive face and decorum because of others' gaze. But she could see the guilt in the way his mouth twitched and how his seriousness did not reach his eyes.

She didn't want to see him guilty. It was not his fault, and he even defended her when he didn't have to.

He turned and sat on one of the logs, pretending to tie his sandals. Hinata would stay a few feet away behind his back. To observers, it would seem that they were keeping appropriate distance.

It was a little dance of pretense that they played. The palace rules were suffocating and strict, and ice-cold discipline drilled into them kept them looking impassive and aloof.

When she was sure nobody was paying them any attention, Hinata asked carefully, to change the topic and hopefully the tense atmosphere, "Neji ni, h-have you s-seen the prince of Mycenae? "

For the first time, Neji's shoulders seemed to stiffen at her question. At first she wondered if he had heard her question. He finally said, "Yes."

When he refused to talk further, Hinata's eyebrows rose in question. Her cousin was always indulgent when it came to her curiosity of the outside world. But this time, he seemed to be hesitant of talking about the Mycenaean prince.

She prompted, "What is he-he like?"

After a long hiatus, he finally said, "He's about your age, Hinata sama."

_So, he's eight,_ she beamed at the new information. "So lucky!" She exclaimed, her eyes exuberant as she grabbed the chance to talk about something new. "To-to be just eight and be able to cross the sea...and visit countries on his own, without his parents." Hinata's pointer fingers met each other as she smiled, "Mycenae is one of the mo-most powerful na-nations no-now and is two times as big as Cretes. Agamemnon i-is from Mycenae. I-I wonder what the royalty is like!"

His eyes that looked older than his peers' gazed at her beyond his shoulder, "Mycenae's power should serve as the biggest motivation to empower our nation, Hinata sama."

At his calm, adult tone, Hinata blushed in embarrassment. She suddenly felt that her curiosity and desire for adventure, even a vicarious one lived through others, was a bit too childish. Maybe it was time for her to sound adult as well.

He stood up from the log. He looked down at her reassuringly, his hands holding firm on his wooden sword, "So that when you are queen, nobody will challenge your reign."

She looked at him, startled. She gaped at him even though he looked as if he said the most normal thing in the world, "Yo-you really think I will be qu-queen?" She was startled but she tried to bolster her spirit, "Bu-but everyone knows that you are the better fit to be king of Cretes, Neji ni. I-I wish you were successor, instead. If we switched places..." Her face fell as she could not dispel the feeling of guilt. It was as if she stole Neji's clothes, and she was wearing a tunic several sizes too big for her.

Nobody would have guessed the urgent context of the two young children's words.

He spoke gently but firmly, "You must learn to be confident, Hinata sama."

Showing his back to her, he spoke as if the words were directed to himself, "When your life or reign is in danger, I will protect you."

She slightly lowered her head and a softest shade of pink suffused over her cheeks and bridge of her nose. He would often tell her that, but it felt good regardless of how frequently he said it. She watched the wind sweep his long hair as he run to the training quarter.

* * *

The next morning, Hinata could already hear the sound of her baby sister crying from the hallway.

"WAHH-" the infant wailed, crying until she was choking and her face turned beet red. Hinata saw that the nurse and handmaidens were at their wit's short end as to how to calm the princess.

She went over to the straw cradle and puckered her lips, "Hanabii, why are y-you crying?" She cooed gently. She reached out and let the baby wrap around her finger in a strong grip.

When Hanabi still could not calm down, she pulled out her last weapon, drawing out a big golden acorn and placed it in the baby's pudgy hand.

Almost magically, the baby started to calm down, "hmph! Hmph-um!" The baby grabbed on the golden acorn, curiosity shining in her sparkly grey mercury eyes. She sucked on the acorn and was so preoccupied with her new toy that her grievances were forgotten.

The wetting nurse sighed, "Princess Hanabi only calms down when you come, princess Hinata."

Hinata tried to speak as clearly as she can without making a stutter, "She...seems...to re...cognize me."

She looked down at her baby sister with adoration in her eyes, her shiny indigo hair falling by the side of her cheeks.

Dismissing the handmaidens, Hinata rocked her baby sister to sleep. When Hanabi woke up after her nap, she put her in the care of the wetting nurse and went to Kou, her royal tutor.

It was already noon when she finished taking care of her sister and completed her morning studies. This was her precious break. Neji was offering hospitality to the Mycenean guests under the instruction of his father, duties that would have been her charge if she was competent and Cretes was an egalitarian society.

She decided to go to the big acorn tree and pick some more golden acorns and put it in a transparent silk pouch for Hanabi. That way, Hanabi could shake on the pouch and play with the golden acorns without worry that she will swalllow and choke on one.

The golden acorn tree was by the big brick wall that separated her private garden from the rest of the palace. The tree was inside her private garden, but the branches that bore golden acorns weighed down heavily on the other side of the wall. The connecting compound outside of the wall was always empty, as ordered by the king. Not even servants approached that area, except gardeners who came to take care of weeds. So that was why the first princess could go to her special tree without being bothered by anyone else.

But when she came to her tree, to her dismay, she saw that the acorn tree's branches were all swayed to the other side of the wall.

_It must be the rainstorm from the other night,_ she thought. She scooped down to the floor, mindless of the dirt on her dress, and surveyed the ground for any golden acorns. But all she could see were plain brown ones, the majority of them rotting in the dirt with grime and bugs.

"Yuck..." she murmured when she picked one golden acorn to see the half of it decayed.

She sighed as she looked up to the towering tree. If she was athletic like Neji, she would gladly climb up the tall tree and scoop the golden acorns. If Neji was by her side, this wouldn't be a problem at all. She could see the prizes glittering like pieces of treasure by the sunlight. To her young, greedy eyes, the entire tree looked like a golden wreath of Apollo.

She had one idea though. But it was a somewhat foolish idea and she hoped nobody would see her.

There was a part on the wall where a full brick was missing. She found that part and after checking if there was anybody watching her, she drew up her sleeves and pushed her little arm through the gap.

She decided to wait until the wind blows and maybe, just maybe, one acorn could happen to fall on her waiting palm.

As she stuck her entire arm through the hole, she couldn't help but feel foolish. But if anyone lost nights of sleep because of a crying baby, surly that would make her childish act excusable, if not understandable.

But then she heard a loud shriek on the other side of the wall, and she could swear to goddess Kaguya, that it sounded like a girl her age.

"Oh-oh," at the piercing scream, she quickly retracted her hand, "I-I'm so sorry!"

"_What_ are you doing?" she heard an angry voice, probably from a child who was around eight years old.

Flustered, Hinata apologized again, "I-I didn't m-mean to scare you!" She struggled to see the face of her poor victim, but she could only see the garden outside the wall through the gap. But it was clear that the child was in proximity to the wall. She could hear the child's voice as if they were right next to eachother.

"I was _not _scared!" was the haughty retort. "I was just upset to see someone trespassing in _my _territory!"

Hinata frowned. She wondered what kind of child had such a nerve in the palace. Nobody could claim any spot in the palace, except the king.

Judging by the child's hauteur, she did not think this was a servant. But every aristocrat and royal member, both branch and main, were taught since at a very young age to be prudent in speech regarding the king and the royal blood.

_Who is this child?_ She wondered.

But she supposed that the sight of a child's pale arm jutting through the wall in broad daylight would cause even an able man to quake and panic. It was a sight not even performed in the most lurid tragedies.

When she heard light footsteps receding from the wall, trudging on the grass, she called out desperately, "Please don't go-!"

Surprisingly, the footsteps did stop. She mumbled meekly, almost like a plea, "C-can you give me just one g-golden acorn on the ground?"

The child retorted gruffly, "Why should I?"

Despite her soft character, Hinata felt a little miffed. This child on the other side of the wall was not nice at all.

She remembered Neji's explanation that every connection was forged through some sort of bargain, "I-I have some honey tarts to trade!"

She heard a pssh on the other side of the wall. "I don't like sweets."

She gasped. Even that was shot down.

Refusing to give up, she tried once more, "Th-then what do you like?"

After a brief pause, the child answered, "Tomatoes."

_Unusual-_she thought. "I-I'll give you one if you please give me one golden acorn-"

"How do I know you will keep your promise?"

"I-I will swear on goddess Kaguya!" She was not supposed to swear so easily, but she could not help it.

"Who is she supposed to be?"

Hinata gasped once again. _Such an impudent child!_

Then she heard the child say with an edge of cockiness,

_"_If you swear by Madara, then I will believe you-"

_Madara-_her lavender eyes lit in understanding, "You-you're from M-Mycenae!"

A pause. When Hinata stood in front of the missing brick, she gasped to see a pair of beautiful, long lashed eyes the color of onyx squint at her.

Hinata thought. So _pretty!_

The frosty contempt in the child's voice considerably lessened,

"How did you know?" Instead, there was curiosity.

When she sensed the genuine curiosity in her peer's voice, she could not contain the sense of achievement at winning over _her, "_I-I always loved h-hearing and reading a-about other countries! Of all the countries I-I know, My-Mycenae is the most f-fascinating!"

"Hnn, of course it is." But the voice still sounded pleased at her praise. "Not like this little boring island."

Hinata frowned, her lips turning upside down. Despite his pretty eyes, the boy's personality had much to be desired.

"Bu-but Mycenae is te-technically an island too-"

He grunted as if she just unexpectedly jabbed him in the gut.

She quickly added, "bu-but that's why Mycenae is so amazing! I-I want to know how your kingdom managed to keep its territories in the ma-mainland for ce-centuries and secured the biggest trading port. My teacher Kou told me that Mycenae and Cretes are like both sides of the same coin. That is why we must learn from each other!"

There was a pause from the other side that kept her at edge, "What's your name?"

"Hinata-my-my name is Hinata!"

She asked with hope, "C-could you te-tell me yours?"

"No," his voice was not cold but nonetheless firm, "I am not supposed to give out my name at a foreign country." He seemed to be contemplating, "Unless..."

"Never mind. A baby like you wouldn't know."

_Baby? _Indignant, she demanded with as much regal air she could muster, "H-how old are you?"

"Eight."

"I-I'm ei-eight too!"

Another thoughtful pause. Hinata was about to feel the welling sense of triumph until she heard the boy ask, "When is your birthday?"

When she told him, he said "ha!" in triumph. "I was born three and a quarter moons before yours. I am still older than you."

They talked some more, he about his country Mycenae and Hinata about Cretes. He did most of the talking, and she eagerly listened, taking in the wealth of information from the eight year old like a sponge. She did not know time passed so quickly, as she clung to the gap created by the missing brick, staring into the pair of beautiful ebony hues that showed so much vitality.

The next day, Hinata came back. She was ecstatic to see flashing onyx eyes glare at her beyond the gap.

"You again." Pretty dark eyes narrowed at her through the rectangular hole, watching her as if he was appraising some strange creature. "I told you I don't want to have someone trespassing."

"I-I'm sorry, she clasped her hands together, "I actually was...w-waiting for you-"

She pushed the red fruit she smuggled from her breakfast dish through the hole, "Would you like a tomato?"

* * *

Hinata should not have forgotten what Neji said to her when she was six as he gave her a chess board he got from his trip from Athens with his father.

It was a chessboard made of the sacred olive tree, with pieces carved of black and white jade. Each piece showed the pinnacle of intricate craftsmanship, showing emblems of the gods such as animals and plans to the finest detail. Even the sea foam on the Poseidon piece and the jagged lightning of Zeus were perfection.

She could not shut her gaping mouth, "I-I ne-never seen anything like it!"

Neji calmly showed her how each pieces moved, "It's a game most popular in Athens. It is getting more and more players across Greece."

Hinata did not understand why he choose this gift until he told her the reason.

"Wielding a sword is not the only way to achieve strength, Hinata sama. The definition of strength has changed according to the ebbs and flows of history, at the passing of new generations. Knowledge is the key possession of those on top of the food chain. Intelligence is the new trajectory of the new era of our dynasty."

He was only seven when he said that.

When Hinata's shoulders drooped at the proof he was called progeny, he added with a dry cough, "At least that's what the person who sold this said."

She looked up to see the light pink blush on his face as he acknowledged the source.

But she, out of excitement to meet her new friend and hear more about the tales of Mycenae, asked Neji who came to her with their chessboard and pieces.

"I-I'm sorry, niisan—" her apologetic smile was sweet, and she looked at him with imploring lavender eyes, "ma-maybe we could play chess next time?"

She knew that her friend from Mycenae will leave as soon as the prince had to go back home. The prince might return to his country any minute. Each moment was so special that she hoped Neji would understand.

She did realize that he had just barely made dear time for her, despite peoples' demand on his attention and his hectic schedule.

She did not realize that it has been a week since she gave him those honey tarts and they had spent time with just each other.

She was too young, too foolish, too impatient to see the stunned look on his face as he stood where she just left him.

She didn't get to hear him murmur her name as he stood rooted to the spot, "Hinata sama..."

* * *

Soon Hinata and her friend from Mycenae decided that they wanted to see each other's faces beyond the walls. But the wall was much too high-not even adults could scale them.

Her friend demanded, "Try going backwards."

She complied, going a few steps back, keeping her face towards the dark eyes that peered at her from the gap.

"More!"

"I-I'm trying-"

"That's it," Hinata's smile widened at the approval at her playmate's voice, "I think I could see your face."

She giggled and kept stepping back, feeling as if they were playing a game. His dark eyes that she could see through the gap encouraged her with a twinkle. Her feet crunched on the grass as she moved back, one step at a time. Hinata laughed, the sound resembling a soft peal of sliver. She never played a game of tag, so this was fun.

She was so absorbed by keeping her face in line with the gap and walking backwards that she was oblivious to the figure standing behind her.

Then suddenly she felt her the back of her head hit a hard chest, and she stopped, raising her eyes to see who it was. Standing a full head above her, Neji looked down at her, his hands holding her bare arms to steady her.

"Ni-ni san!"

There was a certain tightness of his lips that reminded her of Hizashi and the way his grey eyes looked down at her. His long lashes cast a shadow over his eyes, making them look a shade more grey than usual.

His bandaged hands still held the back of her arms even though she was steady,"Hinata sama, who are you talking to?"

Hinata turned around and faced him, feeling as if she was caught doing something bad, "I-it's just a friend." When he continued looking down at her, her lavender eyes drifted downward slightly as a childhood habit.

"A friend?" Neji looked at the missing brick of the wall for a moment. Then he turned to her, his voice mild and resolute at the same time, "Hinata sama, even if this is a playmate, nobody should speak to you like that.

If he was talking about her playmate's somewhat demanding and petulant tone, she was fine with that but she realized how Neji would not take it so well.

She still tried to assure him, "I-I'm okay, ni-san."

"I'm not okay with it." He turned to the wall and raised his voice a notch higher, despite Hinata's protests, "I don't know who you are, but if I ever catch you showing disrespect to Hinata sama again, you will be severely reprimanded." He added with frosty bitterness, "Or worse."

But the child on the other side of the wall sent his own withering glare at the challenge, "I would like to see you try."

"P-Please," She went between the two, facing Neji with pleading eyes, "I-I don't understand wh-why you are fighting-"

"Come, Hinata sama," he grabbed her hand, "it is not worth your time to be with someone who does not know manners."

"Bu-but" Hinata could never truly say no to Neji, but she still turned and threw regretful glances at the wall as they left.

She hoped the friend would not take offense.

* * *

_"_Hinata sama-!" Hinata woke up at the sensation of someone shaking her shoulders. She groggily woke up, rubbing her eyes towards the handmaiden.

It was still early in the morning. She wondered what was the fuss. "You must hurry"

Helping her dress in her silken veil, the handmaiden said urgently in a hushed tone, "First, you must take your bath-"

The maids ushered her to the palace's main bathhouse which was only used for ceremonial purposes and the king and his anointed ones.

They filled the wide rectangular pool with water scented with orange blossoms and started scrubbing her gently from head to toe, lathering her with suds of goat milk soap. She saw the handmaiden carefully open a small jar made of dark blue stone and poured the oil onto her hair and gently massaged her scalp.

When her bath was done, she was dried with the maids' frantic toweling and taken to her room where she was dressed with various silk tunics until she was getting weary.

The maids were debating between a white frock with silver embroidery of cala flowers at the hems and a light purple sleeveless tunic with studded blue jays.

The final decision was made by the head maiden choosing an entirely different dress, a sleeveless turquoise blue dress with shimmers of emerald in the collar.

Hinata questioned the head maid who answered, "This is to meet the prince of Mycenae, my lady. Not a single hair should be neglected. You are the face of the Hyuugas."

_Strange_, she thought as the maids took out the jewel coffers,_ the law of Knossos is that women and men who are not blood related must not be in the same space after the age seven. Why is father in such a rush to have me meet the Mycenenan prince? I was never even invited in big events, let alone private conferences. _

Like the rest of the Hyuuga women in the palace, Hinata's eyes were pierced when she was three. The maids took out a drooping gold earring, consisting of two circles and a triangle, and fastened it on her ears.

Hinata worried if the heavy gold earrings will make her ears flap like an elephant.

She shirked when a maid decided it was a good idea to dust her face with pearl powder, but she had no choice.

With her face caked like a ghost, she stood, awkward in her dress and heavy set gold earrings.

She suddenly felt so lost.

Then she heard a familiar deep voice in the hallway outside the door, "I am here to see Hinata sama"

The head maid said sternly at the door, "You must not enter. Hinata sama is still getting ready-"

"Le-let him in" Hinata ordered in a stammering voice.

When the door opened, Neji entered and he stared at the sight of the princess, looking confused and bewildered in her boisterously colorful dress and powdered face.

When Neji stood silent, bowing his head silently, his eyes downcast, Hinata made a gesture to the maids who shrewdly left the room, giving them privacy.

Before Hinata could tell him of this strange event, Neji spoke soberly, "Words of your marriage with the youngest prince of Mycenae came out this morning."

She felt as if someone hit a gong on her head. Neji noticed her turning paler under the veil of powder, if that was possible. Shocked, she found herself stuttering more than usual, "Bu-but I-I'm o-only eight years old!"

She shook her head, her short dark hair swept by her face,

"I-I don't want to go! I don't want to leave!"

When he fell silent, her eyes welled up with tears,

"D-do you want me to leave, Neji ni-san?"

She went up to him closely, looking up at his face with tears that she was scared to shed,

"I," he looked at her, turmoil in his eyes as his face contorted in agony, "I wish for you to not go, Hinata sama-"

"I—" heat rose to her throat, "I don't want to g-go either, Neji nisan! I-I want to stay!"

At her words, his breath hitch to his throat and he looked at her, bewildered and tortured.

Out of desperation, she reached out to his right hand and grabbed it as if it was her solitary moor in the tempestuous sea.

If her grip hurt him, he didn't even show a single hint. His free hand gripped hers back.

"Princess," the head handmaiden appeared.

She bowed her head towards her and said, "The meeting is postponed to a later date. The prince of Mycenae is feeling ill."

"Ah, th-that's..." Hinata felt slight relief, but the voice at the back of her mind told her that the merciless god called her father has already decided her fate.

Nobody, not even Neji could help her stay. Her baby sister Hanabi still needed her-she just learned how to babble "Tata" for her name "Hinata." She could just crawl a little bit. She begged to the gods above that they will let her stay home.

Trembling, she looked at Neji, who for the first time, bowed his head and couldn't look at her eyes. But his jaws were set stubbornly, but his tortured gaze showed that for the first time, he felt defeated. His bowed head and clenched fists by his side gradually dissipated the glimmer of hope that he, her brilliant cousin, may turn the tides and help her stay. But she realized that he was just a child as well.

* * *

Feeling distraught over the fact that her departure was settled, Hinata decided to go to the wall once again to meet her friend. She hoped that maybe this strong-willed friend might give her a comforting word or two, tell her the extraordinary benefits of going to Mycenae as he boasted before.

Maybe he could give her some idea as how to convince the Mycenean king to not have her as a daughter-in-law so fast.

Maybe being sweet-toothed is a taboo in the Mycenean court, and she could say she has a dreadful mortal illness that needs sugar.

She imagined a hazy figure of the prince, offering her a tomato when she asked for a sweet apple, _we do not have real fruits in Mycenae. Suffice yourself with this, weakling._

She shook her head as she approached her favorite wall. Even that sounded ridiculous.

At first when she saw the wall, she wondered if she had accidentally mistaken it for another wall, "Uh?"

She searched the entire wall, walked back and forth in the garden, but it was the right wall. She inspected the entire width but she could not find the gap.

She panicked. She wanted to call out for her friend, but then she realized that she didn't have his name.

Then she heard somebody approach her from behind. She turned, "Ne-Neji ni!"

A downpour of words came from her, "I-I couldn't find the hole! It was here yesterday! But I can't find it."

"It was me."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, "W-what?"

In a cool voice, he affirmed what she hoped was not true, "I had the wall reconstructed."

"Bu-but you did not ask f-for my p-permission!"

For the first time she could remember in her entire life, she resented him. "Ne-Neji ni, how could you?" she said accusingly, tears prickling and hands curled into fists. This was the first friend she made other than him! And he just took that away from her.

He shot back, "You said you did not want to leave Cretes. I only helped you to not have unnecessary attachments."

"What-what does th-that have to do with m-my f-friend?" Her nose was runny, "I-I m-miss my friend! Wh-why are you being mean, Neji ni san?" Fat dollops of tears came down, unrestrained.

The way his brows went down showed that he was distraught, "Don't cry, Hinata sama"

"If you talk to that child, you have to leave..." His voice was supposed to come out strong, but it leveled to a whisper and the undertones that accompanied it kept Hinata's tears in check. She swallowed and tried to wipe her tears.

He looked down at the crown of her head when she bowed, her eyes glued to her shoes.

Letting out a deep sigh, he approached the wall. Curiosity plagued Hinata even though she was upset. She speechlessly watched what he was going to do.

He pulled at corner of single brick lightly with his fingers. Instead of a full brick, a thin slab of stone fell to the ground.

He looked down at the shattered stone, dejected, "I won't do anything that will make you angry again. So please don't cry."

They both looked down at the shattered stone. Instead of feeling relieved and happy that the wall was not reconstructed, Hinata felt a poignant sadness, feeling her heart running a fate parallel to the shattered stone. It was as if the trust they built throughout the years has just become like shards of stone scattered through the grass. She also felt a sense of regret for yelling at Neji and calling him a bad person. They both bowed their heads to the ground, unable to open their mouths and say anything.

Hinata felt a sense of relief when an eunuch came running to them, "Princess,"

He bowed before the two, "My young lady, young lord."

When the eunuch told her, both of them looked at each other in disbelief,

When he finished informing of her of the change in affairs, Hinata looked at him, her mouth gaping, "...What?"

The eunuch repeated again, sweat forming on his temple as he repeated what he just announced, "Something has happened in Mycenae. Something big. Unfortunately, talks about the betrothal must be postponed for now."

When the eunuch left their earshot, Hinata trembled, holding her hands together, "T-this is amazing. I-I ma-may not have to leave-"

But something weighed down on her heart. Something drastic. Like the way she would sometimes feel when she sees the orange sun set on the sky from her veranda.

She spoke as if she was murmuring incoherently to herself, "b-but... why do I-I... feel so strange?"

It was as if her heart plummeted to the ground. Her hands felt cold, despite seeing him smile.

Whatever happened in Mycenae, she hoped it was nothing severe.

* * *

Hinata and Neji were sitting with each other in their study, reading scrolls.

They did not even share a single word except an awkward greeting.

They refused to acknowledge eachother as they sat reading in silence.

The silence felt overbearing to Hinata, but she told herself that she refused to acquiesce. Neji also turned his pages without a word.

They continued working in the tense, studious atmosphere until an imperial guard came barging in,

"The prince of Mycenae is missing!"

Neji rose from his seat and Hinata paled.

It was chaos in the palace of Knossos.

The first prince of Mycenae has raised an insurrection, slaughtering the king and queen and the rest of the royal family in cold blood.

The youngest prince of Mycenae, a boy the same age as Hinata, suddenly disappeared without a trace from the palace in Knossos, Cretes.

* * *

She was five and he was six.

They raced in the flower field. Laughing, the indigo haired girl tumbled over and they lied breathless on the grass.

He looked down at her, laughing. She giggled as she looked at him from the peripherals, buried between bright red poppies and pastel blue anemones. The sharp blades of grass cut on their bare knees, a plenty of them as tall as her. The wind swept by the brilliant red African daisies that yellowed at the edge and white daisies. Spurts of yellow flowers scattered through the silken petals of scarlet poppies andl blue anemones. They were not even scared of snakes that may be slithering through the bright blue daisies and bowing fuzzy buds of poppies. There was a time when she held so tightly on his arm as if his life depended on it. Something warm, probably something that went by the name, 'happiness' radiated from his chest, as they burst in laughter under the light.

Then he felt it—a slight peck on his cheek. She laughed and pecked him again, not knowing the significance of the act. What they shared were innocent kisses between children, and they laughed merrily as they pecked on each other tenderly as if they were playing.

He said her name, and the child disappeared, and the shadows merged into an adult persona that answered back with a demure smile and a string of gentle words she drew out like a song.

"I love you," a kiss on the jawline, "I love you" a kiss on the temple, "I love you" lips pressed on his right eyelid that trembled at the touch.

Words were superfluous as his chest filled to the brim, his breath hitched to his throat. Lavender hues were just a mere inch away from his, her lips a dash of bleeding poppies.

He heard a voice from somewhere, a cry that sounded eerily like his own adult voice- "I'll always want you-"

When he woke up, he realized that he had just slept after nodding a few times while riding his horse. When he came to his senses, something silently left his chest like a breeze disappearing into the horizon of the sea. It was as if someone was shelling out his already hollow heart. Surrounded by his men who looked up to him for life and honor, he felt the weight of his reality crashing down on him. The end of his lip twisted and his grey eyes locked forward in the cold, dark path. Dreams only served as foils or continuations of his reality-neither desirable. _Actually_, he thought, if he had a choice, he preferred the dreams that were the glaringly antithetical to his life. At least, he felt better during his sleep.

He heard his subordinate waiting for him dutifully to recover from his drowsiness, "My lord, we have arrived."

They have crossed through Phaistos and finally stopped at the sight of the residence of the feudal lord in Threspotia, glowing like a temple made of white paper under the half moon. The silence among his men stretched as they saw the lord of Threspotia wait for them eagerly at the front gates with his household and servants.

Receiving the warmest greeting with a nod, he declined to join dinner that was prepared as a feast and asked for a bath and a place to rest his head for the night.

He waved away the numerous attendants that the lord insisted that he is served by.

His room was only partially lit by some candles that burned quietly, emanating scent of pines. The king was not surprised. Threspoita was known for its fragrant pines.

A heavy foot step rung in the lavish chamber, and drops of water beaded at the end of his hair, falling on the marble.

Being fatigued from crossing through the nation after an overseas crusade, he moved in a slouching gait, dragging his feet and slowly went to his bead, his dry gaze directed at nothing in particular. He felt the voice at the back of his head make bitter whispers at him. He lied on his bed and closed his eyes as soon as he felt his head on the pillow.

He was more assured than ever that she was alive. She might not want him alive, but she was alive. It was like she was on the other side of a monumental brick wall, and he could not feel her, but he could sense the fluttery pulse of her wrists and her neck from the other side.

He pressed his ear close to that wall where he believed she was beyond. He listened. He was getting close.

He let sleep overtake him.


	9. Chapter 9 Hizashi's Death

A/N: I do not own Naruto.

Hello! I am sorry for the delay. I have been in a car accident, but I am recovering from the injuries.

When I read the comment section, there seems to be a fair chance that my writing made every reader a hater of Neji, which breaks my heart.

It is also more balanced and better to have similar number of supporters for both pairings.

I am not giving out the ending-I just want to know that there is a fair balance between the two pairings. Just posting "Nejihina" in the comment section or sending me a pm will make me happy.

For those who are discontent with the story's pace, you could visit "The Priestess" next year. This story will be a slow-burn.

And for those who want more Sasuhina content, you may take a look at my other sasuhina centric fanfics which is 120K words.

I think it is probably not an answer you want, but I already wrote more than 120K words for the Sasuhina pairing, so I think it is understandable if I want to try other things.

I have been suffering from depression and even getting out of bed has been a challenge these days. I have been saying things to myself I would never say to my friends or strangers. Writing this fanfic has been the only thing getting me going.

I had a single reader tell me that I was "lazy" for not being descriptive enough. That really hurt me. I try my best despite my physical injury and depression and school work, trying to publish once a month, but I still have some who call me "lazy." If you would, please be gentle and courteous in your comments because these days are becoming hard and exhausting for everyone. A little bit of respect and thoughtfulness would really help me to produce chapters for this story that I love. Writing fanfic chapters will always be more challenging than reading them.

Meanwhile, I want to thank you all for your supporting me and reading my work. I dearly appreciate it and I will do my best with the story development, description, and timely upload. I have been very sick and suffering from depression, so your encouragement means everything. I am really amazed by this community. Thank you. I am sorry if my chapter isn't so great... this was the best I could come up with.

Thank you so much! Sending so much love. I hope you are safe and happy during this difficult time. I don't want anyone to be experiencing what I am going through right now.

* * *

It was one of those evenings when Kakashi was teaching Sasuke. This time, the lesson was on the history and politics of Attica, the kingdom of Odysseus.

Smiling to herself at the familiar details, Hinata would be sewing by the table while the lesson took place. She always loved reading the scrolls about the wisest king who won a pivotal role in the Trojan war and was stranded in the seas because he earned the wrath of Poseidon. She glanced at Sasuke, but he did not seem too keen about his lessons.

The three leaned toward the solitary burning lamp, and even the silver haired tutor was being tolerant of her as long as she kept to herself.

Hinata glanced to see both men's faces by the little flickering candlelight. From the look of chagrin on his face, Sasuke was bristling with frustration. The frowning eyebrows on the tutor's face also showed his growing irritation at his pupil. She kept quiet, as she watched both from the corner of her eye.

It was usual for Kakashi and Sasuke to be tense during their lessons, but this kind of tension was new.

The tutor let out a deep sigh and swept his hair backwards in frustration, "Could you just even pretend that you're listening?"

Sasuke released a small snarl as he glared at him back, "I don't understand why I have to concentrate on something that I don't need for the rest of my life."

Kakashi scoffed under his breath, "I can't believe this."

Then the silver haired man mused for a couple of moments and then his eye flicked over to the woman who cringed at his glare.

"Leuke san, you have belonged to-," at her paled face, he quickly revoked his cruel words, "you have _worked_ with aristocrats, haven't you?"

Hinata asked Sasuke to keep her name a secret.

Surprised and apprehensive as to where this was going, she dropped her needle and fabric to her lap, "Ye-yes."

Sasuke crossed his arms and his ebony eyes flicked from Kakashi to Hinata. His strong jaw clenched and he seemed distrustful of Kakashi who continued his strange questions.

"You know how to read and write, which is highly unusual and rare for a female slave. A male slave, maybe. To be used as a secretary or a scribe."

Hinata waited on baited breath for him to get to his point.

Kakashi asked the unthinkable, "Have you worked with the gentlemen closely?"

At the insulting implication, Hinata felt her lips stiffen and eyes burn in shame and anger. Sasuke rose from his seat, "You, son of a-"

Realizing his blunder, Kakashi shook his hands, "No, no-I didn't mean it that way! I meant, did she have a chance to see the male aristocrats at work!"

Hinata thought about this and concluded that she knew enough about aristocrats in Knossos to say yes. Sasuke calmed down, sitting back, but his fists were still clenched, resting on the table.

Kakashi gripped the edge of his chair and splayed his other hand on the table, "Then you must have seen many young men, even boys who are younger than this _meathead_ who is well above him in learning." He pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke who scowled. But she also saw how Sasuke was keeping an eye on her, as he was curious about what she would say.

Hinata could not hide her apprehension and dilemma at this point. For her to say 'no' meant that she was encouraging Sasuke's rebelliousness against his teacher and hindering his progress in learning. As someone who was rigorously educated by the greatest masters, she silently agreed with Kakashi's point that Sasuke had much to catch up with. For his talents, Sasuke showed lack of motivation. She was often struck by how quick and clever he was and how easily he grasped difficult concepts and excelled in rote memorization. But what kept him from excelling in his studies was his inability to see the utility of this academic discipline. But for her to say 'yes' meant indirectly insulting Sasuke.

She tried to feign ignorance, "I-I'm not sure-"

Kakashi rubbed his temple in irritation, "Please just say yes or no." The way he looked at her almost seemed to be pleading. He seemed at ends of patience with Sasuke's defiance.

Hinata decided that she should finally be honest, "M-most adolescents have passed knowing Attica and other kingdoms..."

Sasuke's head snapped over to her, unable to believe what he had just heard. Not shocked by the fact about the aristocrats' academic progress, but by the fact that Hinata quietly sided with Kakashi against him.

When Kakashi saw his success at leashing Sasuke's attention, he almost clapped his hands in excitement.

"Leuke san," he said in a softer, wheedling tone, "how would you feel if your husband does not know was much as a blue blooded thirteen year old? Wouldn't that be a shame?"

"Leuke doesn't care about those kind of stuff," Sasuke said pointedly, but his eyes nervously flicked to Hinata. At his words, her dimpled smile dropped and her eyes looked hurt, which took him aback.

She bowed her head, her long hair hiding her profile from the men's gaze. She could not lie, but admit that she valued learning greatly. Intelligence was what she deemed very attractive. She thought that was the only saving grace of the nobility and royalty that she escaped from. Learning was the sole beacon of light in the dark bowels of hell that was called Knossos. And she knew that Sasuke was exceptionally bright. It would be a shame if he gave up on his studies.

When she did not verbally agree with him, Sasuke paled and for the first time she had seen, he seemed at lost of words.

"Did you tell your lovely wife that you can't spell?"

"I could!" Sasuke looked as if he was going to rip Kakashi's head off, "just sometimes...I make mistakes." He glanced to a side and grumbled.

Kakashi seemed to be the only one at glee, "Leuke san, he did not even read *."

Hinata's head whipped to Sasuke. She looked at him in genuine disbelief. She asked softly, "You-you did not read that?"

"I-it's" Shame made his face flush with red. Then he barked at her, causing her to flinch slightly, "Well, what if I will never read *? Are you going to think less of me? Leave me or ask for a divorce?"

She said softly, looking at him in his eyes, "I-I would not do that." But her opalescent eyes slid shut as she pursed her lips, "but..."

She could not continue her words, as she gazed down at her needlework at her lap. To her and people of her background, * was the most rudimentary classic. She did not know that Sasuke lacked so much interest in learning. Kakashi was a skilled teacher and he had opportunities that were not available to the masses. She could not help but feel a slight disappointment at the unexpected reality about her husband's personality and what she could not help but perceive as "laziness."

Sasuke looked down at her, his mouth parted slightly in shock at his wife's silence. She just quietly bowed her head and fumbled with her little fabric. His dark eyes widened and his lips paled.

Kakashi seemed to draw sadistic amusement from this quiet fiasco he created, "Leuke san, would you prefer Sasuke bald with a pot belly or ignorant and foolish?"

"Enough!" Sasuke sat down on the table grudgingly. He shot back at Kakashi and made him the object of his venomous resentment, "Continue. Aren't you going to continue? Why are you wasting your time?"

Kakashi's eye became crescent-shaped and they continued their lesson. Sasuke was still fuming silently, but he was more attentive and focused.

By the time, Hinata was finished with her evening needlework, Kakashi has already left. Sasuke was sitting by the table, still reading.

As she got ready for bed, she went behind Sasuke and peered over his shoulder.

She smiled to see what he was reading. She gently placed her hand on his right shoulder, and Sasuke started. He glanced up at her and for the first time, instead of reciprocating her caress, he turned his face away from her. But she saw the shell of his eye turn pink by the flickering light.

When she was about to remove her hand, she felt a firm grip.

She stopped and looked at him. He was still facing forward instead of her, but the grip on her hand told her he had something important to say.

"Hinata, about the time I mentioned divorce...you know that I didn't mean it, right?"

Her eyes widened. She hardly even thought about it. He continued in a tone of regret.

" Sometimes I get all hot in the head and I say things I don't mean..."

The grip on her hand tightened. The rich mass of dark hair fell over his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the table.

"I might not be rich or be the smartest man you have seen, but...I will try my best so you won't be ashamed and...I will provide you the best I can."

Her eyes widened as she noticed the plea in his voice.

"So..."

There he was, quietly begging in a way that almost grazed his pride.

He adjusted his grip so he could hold her entire hand. Seeing his dissipating confidence made something in Hinata's chest drop.

She approached him quickly and rested both of her hands on his shoulders,

"Sa-Sasuke, pl-please don't say such things."

He looked up at her in surprise. Her eyes shone in concern for him. A piece of Hinata's heart broke at the tender, vulnerable way his dark eyes looked up to her.

"I-I may have seen great lords and their young sons, but none of them have anything like your spirit, Sasuke."

When he turned his face away, assuming that she was just trying to comfort him, she persisted,

"Their greatest meaning of life is to follow the steps of their forefathers. They study, play, marry, work, live, _breathe_ the way that was chosen for them. But they believe to be superior and think they can reign above others with their right. They are vain, self-absorbed, insensitive and many can be stupid and cruel."

She gently lifted his chin up to face her. Her voice carried the weight of sadness but also strength.

"But you are so kind. Men who have more are hardly half as generous."

His dark eyes widened in surprise at the intense look of her face. She looked down at him seriously, but there was an undeniable sadness in her voice, "you chose your life for yourself. That is both a virtue and a possession. You have always been proud and independent."

A silhouette of a boy full of asperity and simmering hatred manifested in her mind. She almost teared up at the recollection.

Sasuke had something that she always wanted herself to have but was never brave enough to show. Every time she tried to hold her head high, adversity struck a swift blow and she fell on her knees, pleading for mercy. The best she could do was run away. Even someone who possessed inner strength like Hanabi refused to stay, saying that Cretes was a lost cause. It would break her heart if Sasuke lost that treasure inside. "So please don't make me the reason for you to change."

Silence fell between the two. The firelight on the wick of the candle danced lightly as a soft breeze entered the hut.

Now, Sasuke was facing her on his chair, still holding her hand and looking up to her. He looked stable now, as his dark beautiful eyes showed his usual calmness and self-assurance. When she saw that he returned to his proud but gentle self, she smiled in relief and gratification and turned to go to bed.

"Good night, Sasuke-"

But she halted in her steps when she felt the tight grip on her hand. When she was about to turn, she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and her back pressed close to a firm chest.

She did not know what to do at the sudden embrace or the warm breath that swayed her side fringes or the strong and even beating of a heart that she felt behind her.

She turned slightly, "Sasuke?"

His arms tightened around her and he buried his face on her shoulder. His dark, luxurious hair fell across her shoulder as he mumbled out her name.

She waited, but all she could feel was the increasing heat of his face on her shoulder. Then his face rolled to the side, and she saw his large dark eyes glance at her. He blinked and the long eyelashes brushed pass his pale skin before opening and gazed at her sideways expectantly. She felt her breath hitch to her throat. It seemed as if the gods carved out his face.

The silence and his intense stare made her start inwardly. _I wonder what he might want this time..._

She began to ponder whether this was the timing she had to kiss and he was eagerly expecting one.

She closed her eyes and leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

When she opened her eyes after the brief kiss, he buried her further into his arms and he looked down at the floor.

There was a glow to his face as he made a rare smile, as if his entire being was alight.

When she wondered what could have made her husband so happy about such a small peck, he said,

"This was the first time you ever initiated anything to me," he murmured happily, as if he was speaking to himself.

His words made her speechless. She did not remember the last time someone was so happy because of what she did. She did not remember ever making anyone happy. When she lived as a priestess, she listened to those who came to her for counsel, blessings, or purification of their sufferings. Most of them left as soon as they were done with their business, and many of them cried because they just suffered too much. She never expected that her role was going to be a happy one. Gods were barely visited for happy reasons. But here, there was a man who looked as if he earned the world just because she gave him a little kiss.

Suddenly, that made Hinata feel a little sad and crestfallen inside. She wished that she could have done more for him, if only she knew that he would be so exuberant over such a small thing that she did at the spur of a moment, because she made a quick judgment.

"Hinata," he wound his arms around her shoulders and pressed her tightly to himself. She felt his face radiating a bunch of heat next to her ear. He took some time, and she waited patiently.

He stammered, "I-I'll finish reading and then we could go to the village again for the end-of-summer dance."

She looked surprised, and he became uncharacteristically flustered as he continued to speak in a rush of words, "I usually don't go to events like those, but I think you'll like it."

When she saw how much courage it took him, she finally smiled.

She carefully wrapped her hand around his and said without a stammer, "I would love to."

He looked down at her for a moment and continued kissing her until she was breathless.

* * *

When Sasuke went to work early in the morning, Hinata stayed home and kept the house tidy. Despite what seemed to be an unattainable feat at first, she finally mastered the art of making the house at least a inhabitable space. She was both relieved and proud of her tiny accomplishment.

Hinata went to her secret place where she hid her diary. Her daily record was only a stack of tree barks she carved letters onto with a stencil because parchment and paper were too expensive.

Although Kakashi seemed to be warming up to her, it was only an acknowledgement of her presence, not any sense of camaraderie or friendship. She even asked Sasuke to only keep her real name to himself.

She would never ask Kakashi for anything other then his tolerance.

The secret place where she hid her diary was a gaping hole of a big oak tree that was on her way to the peak of the mountain where she watched the bonfire tower.

If there was a smoke rising from the bonfire tower, it meant that there was a dire emergency.

The emergency could range from the palace's awareness of her disappearance or Neji being in danger or harm.

When the sky was clear and there was no smoke, she would feel the tension that gripped her dissipate and she would go down the mountain.

After navigating the curves of the forest, she would find her old oak tree and push her hand into the crevice and pull out her diary and start writing about her day.

But this time, after continuing her usual routine of watching the tower, she went down to retrieve her diary without the desire to write. She retrieved it so that she could destroy it.

She thought, _it feels wrong to keep the diary after what progressed between me and Sasuke._

Even she was aware that her feelings with Sasuke have undergone a significant change. Keeping the diary felt as if she was keeping a secret from him.

She felt the guilt gnawing at her at the thought of Sasuke finding out her thoughts.

It was not just any diary that recorded daily occurrences. It contained her heart at the moment when she struggled to make the transition from Knossos to Threspotia. She divulged the greatest secrets of her heart there.

She took the tree barks to a nearby brook to submerge them in the cool water.

She decided that she would peruse over her diary one last time before she destroyed it.

_Once I read that the birth of a person truly starts from remembering a face. That face becomes a building foundation to the life the person will construct.__That face becomes the cornerstone to the person's existence, a guiding compass of every relationship and experience she will garner, the sour and the wholesome pieces that make up life. Usually, according to the scholar, the face belongs to a mother, but it does not matter as it depends on how a person's sense of self started to form._

_When I first read that scroll, I began to believe that life could be quite unfair. Not all could be born out a place of warmth. To those born in impoverishment, that image of a face could evoke loneliness, coldness, and deprivation. Even violence. Kaguya, help those whose "face" is that of despair._

_Many had worse than me, but the weakness in me cannot help but interpret my own life through that imagery of the"face."_

_It was not my mother's face that made its indelible mark in my mind. She might have loved me, but sadly I do not remember receiving my mother's love._

_The mother I remembered did not know whether to settle between her love for me, her guilt for giving birth to me as a girl, and her resentment that I did not turn out to be a boy caused her inhumane misery._

_I have forgiven my poor mother now, for I see that she was simply a woman subject to hapless fate, to the inner workings of the palace. I do not resent her, poor woman, I hope she has finally found peace at least in death._

_If it was not for my father's final days, he would have remained a face of sheer terror. To this day, I do not know whether I could forgive him, whether it is within my limited capacity to forgive. To the best of my ability, I try to free both myself and my father through forgetting about my past._

_I wish Hanabi would remember me as the face that she would keep in her heart. As much as I love her, as much as a mother would love her child, sadly I have grown up too much, perhaps seen too much to have made Hanabi's dear face the guide of my life. By the time, I met my sister, I had too much of me, to have made a blank slate for my sister to be my world. I was too much of myself, if it made any sense. _

_The man, my savior I have begotten the luck to call my husband, asks me questions related to my previous life. At times he asks me questions, he almost looks like a child. He is such a beautiful man, inside out and I would do anything to make him happy. I am glad that my cooking is becoming a bit more tolerable. I want to do so much more for Sasuke. But I do not have it in my heart-the necessary courage to expose the part of my past. It almost feels like a lie to tell him about my past without mentioning Neji, so I purposely skirt around the subject. I tell myself that I will give Sasuke the time, every bit that makes me, the body, the care, and everything to make him content with his choice to marry me. _

_But I could not talk to him about him. His name is a thorn that I carry close to my chest._

_I am rambling. Back to the "face." _

_I do have a "face" that became my world, my lens, before I was I, when I was a blank space. That face quickly filled up the blank space that was me, became me, and before I knew, he became I and I, him. _

_Like a chick that met its mother hen, the sight of his face immediately made its mark in my head. His face became the imprint on which I build my world, the person I became._

_The four year old child whose grey eyes were wide and so open to the world was too little to even barely form an idea of who he was. So small, so little that he could fit the palm of my hand now if I could hold him._

_I do not remember how much time it took for that boy with long brown hair to become my "face."_

_But when his dimpled palm was open to me, he said "hello," greeted me, for the first time I remember emerging from behind my father's shadows to step toward someone. I came with my own "hello." _

_He called me his master, but he will never know how he pushed my blankness away and filled me with himself and made me. He made me, and the fact that he was me before I even began to know myself-that I will never see that boy again-_

_Every night when I dream, I dream of being in front of a big wall. It is old, the bricks have long yellowed, and I see myself running my fingers across the wall. _

_The fissure of the wall makes a lightning shaped breach. But the breach is not enough for me to look through the cracks. _

_Just who is beyond that wall? Is there even anybody beyond that wall waiting for me? Is it foolishness to envision that somebody is looking for me beyond that wall, because I keep thinking that there is meant to be somebody. _

_Why do I feel so alone when I see that yellowing brick wall clustered with dark ivy?_

She wrote these when she kept having dreams of a monumental wall surrounding her path. She remembered the thrill and fear at the thought of someone beyond the wall.

After dunking the tree barks into the water, she watched the tree bark being chipped away. The written letters disappeared until they were just splinters.

She told herself, _I am Sasuke's wife now. I have no business with the 'face.' I should never think of him again. _

At the thought, for some reason, tears welled to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away with the back of her arm.

She suddenly felt as if there was a hole in her chest. She rummaged for something she always carried with her in her underclothes.

It was a piece of bed covering she tore from her room when she thought she was with child.

She looked down at the fabric for a moment, and she felt choked. It felt foolish to be mourning over something she never lost, never even had at first place.

She dunk the fabric into the water too, watching it being sullied by the mud and debris underneath the brook.

She told herself, _this was it. _

* * *

The metallic smell of blood accompanied the sensation of running his face against a wall.

Blood dropped on the floor, the viscosity and darkness being like ink. His closest subordinate, a branch Hyuuga, rushed to his chamber and stayed stunned but wisely shut his mouth, not asking what was the cause of the king's self-inflicted violence. Neji paid no mind to the cut on his hand or his blood dropping to the floor.

His pale eyes hardened as he stared off in a distance, a scowl set on his eyebrows. It has been three days he scouted the feudal lord's residence and the village. The mayor of Threspotia was the last person on his list who supported Hinata's candidacy to the throne before his reign.

However, the only people she could go to for help were the main Hyuugas who endorsed her legitimacy to the crown and refused to believe charges of patricide.

After investigating each, Neji crossed off everyone in the list who would help Hinata for political gain. However, there was literally no trace, not even a hint that could lead to another. It was as if she evaporated in the air.

His subordinate looked at him in concern, thinking how his master's single-mindedness, though at times essential, could be self-debilitating. The swordsman knew Neji since they were little, even though the king was previously separated from the royalty during Hizashi's death and his enrollment in the army. From years at battle, the swordsman knew that it was necessary to have a sharp focus, almost as essential as breathing. Neji's extraordinary focus was what kept him alive and earned him the nickname, _margothe,_ from his enemies, after the legendary devil that never needs to sleep, eat, or breath. But, maybe, the princess did die, and it was becoming necessary to consider the possibility that his time and effort were all for nothing.

The swordsman took a step forward and offered, "Your majesty."

Neji glanced at him from his peripheral, as if he just noticed his presence. Then without a word, he accepted his offer and extended his bleeding hand.

He soon was sitting by his side, wrapping his superior's bleeding hand with a fresh gauze. The weight of silence fell in the chamber, the swordsman focused on his given task and Neji was deep in thought.

His low voice ran like velvet, "Ike." A strand of hair fell across his face, as his pale irises shifted to the man who was wrapping his hand.

The swordsman started. Then he lowered his gaze to the ground, "yes, your majesty."

Neji looked at him fully, "You have a question." He frowned, quietly accusing him of taking him as an oblivious fool. _Ask me _was the silent command.

Ike pursed his lips. He was actually thinking of a tactful way to hint that this expedition was all for nothing, but his sovereign did not give him such opportunity.

Neji's long hair swept across his jawline as he placed his unharmed hand on his armchair and sat back, "You want to know why I am trying so hard."

Still lowering his eyes to his wound, Ike quirked an eyebrow, "Would you deign to tell us if we asked?"

A curve of a self-deprecating smile crept to Neji's lips.

Ike withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly,

"You do not need to, my king. You must hear what the youngest just said about you. This is the first time he served you close and he is star struck. He would follow you right into charybdis*(a sea monster that took on a shape of a giant whirlpool) if it means going with you. He does not have the slightest doubt that your reasons are always justified."

"Young," Neji paused before saying wryly, "but I know you will make sure to change that." There was a flare of humor in his eyes.

Ike made a slight smile at his superior's dry commentary about his capability as a mentor. Despite his delicate looking features and calm disposition, Ike could be ruthless to ensure that his subordinates could survive the worst. That was why he was chosen as one of the cabinet generals.

"He keeps asking us about your military expeditions. He especially gravitates to details like "blood raining from the sky" and "chopped heads" and "burning citadels." Like a a child pestering for a bedtime story."

A slight quirk of an eyebrow showed his surprise, "I didn't know that Tokuma had that kind of taste."

Ike scoffed at his sovereign's discomfort as if he should be used to that by now, "You know how people like to talk about you. As the prince that was banished from the courts, subjected to the branch's curse seal, yet volunteered to be in the army and rose the ranks. How you have survived the past king Hiashi's schemes to get rid of you. No matter who says what, that little boy will cut that insolent tongue that questions your orders. Rest assured that none has harbored the slightest idea to even question you."

But both Neji and Ike knew. While the men would have disapproved of looking for Hiashi's daughter, their loyalty wasn't questioned. They were confident, completely faithful towards their leader even if they do not understand why they have to patrol the entire country and scout for a political prisoner that offered no threat.

Pale eyes gazed at him fully, "Give me your honest thoughts." Ike paused. Neji was asking him his personal thoughts about the reason he was going through so much.

There was a great deal of hesitation on his part. He knew instinctively that this time, Neji was not asking him as a king, but as someone who was older and who knew both him and Hinata since they were young.

Finally, he broke down, his shoulders falling down as he divulged his own suspicions, "I think...you miss her, your majesty."

Chiseled lips slightly parted and then shut.

Again a heavy pause ensued, until Neji called him once again, "Ike,"

Ike dutifully answered, "Yes, your majesty."

Neji held out his hand that looked like a dwarf's club made out of white cotton. He said flatly, "The gauze is wrapped too thick."

* * *

_-past when Hinata is three years old-_

In the palace of Knossos, there was a specific building assigned for in-door military training during the rainy and rare snowy seasons.

The floor consisted of long black wooden planks with a smooth sheen while the walls were coated with white clay to keep the humidity at bay.

The design of the windows were influenced by the East, commonly called the "Orient" for its tear dropped shape. In contrast with the exotic, curvaceous design, the windows were guarded by metal bars with spiked ends, hinting at the militant function of this elegant building used for meditation and communal military training. The white rotund pillars supported the dark ceiling of squared wooden patterns.

But for the three year old Hinata and four year old Neji, this austere building was their playground. She would wait for him to complete his training with his father, as she stood by the threshold. Even though she was welcomed to most parts of the palace, including the indoor training hall, she preferred to use the space when she was just with her cousin.

Back then, Neji used to be a small child who barely reached up to his father's waist. She remembered how close he was with his father, how he hugged his father's knee with a quick, "Yes, father!" and jumped to whatever adventure he had for the day.

Hinata remembered her uncle Hizashi to have a kinder face then her father even though they were twins. His eyebrows were darker and framed pale eyes that had a rounder shape and no stress lines or wrinkles. His skin was tanner than her father's and there were no lines around his mouth, and although his jaw was strong, it showed character than harshness, making him look more youthful than his age.

But despite his obvious love for his son and warm disposition, Hizashi did not hold back when training his son.

Hinata winced at the sound of a bare foot slamming on the wooden floor, reminding her of a fire cracker. But her tensed face morphed into a relieved smile when she realized that her cousin dodged his father's counterattack.

Her cousin who was taller than her looked so, so small compared to his tall father.

Hizashi kicked off his little son who flew back on the ground, but the latter rolled on his back on the floor and was on one knee, facing his father.

Neji rose and ran to his father and jumped, but his father dodged all his punches and kicks with his right wrist. With a single tilt of his right wrist, Hizashi pushed his son away again, who landed on the floor on his knees, struggling a bit more to regain his footing. When he did, he ran back towards his father, and when he thought he got him, his father's feet swept to the side and Neji fell face down on the floor. It looked too ruthless to subject a four year old child to such training, but this was ordinary for the royal family.

Hinata knew that despite his small stature, Neji's punches and kicks were sharp and delivered impact. Even though she knew that Hizashi was the vice commander of the militia, she was at awe of how simply he swapped off her cousin's attacks. She admired how Neji always charged against his fearsome father.

Hizashi looked down at his son who fell face flat on the floor, "Let's call it the day."

The four year old boy rose and knelt on the floor and carefully bowed his forehead as he faced his father, "Thank you for training me, father."

Hizashi made a proud smile, a youthful smile that showed how much he was impressed, "You've gotten stronger."

Hinata smiled too. She was glad to know that Hizashi was the kind of father who did not hold back in his fight but still remarked on his son's progress.

For her father, it was always more and more. More improvement. Always space for disgruntlement.

But she told herself. Maybe if she was like Neji, her father would be like uncle too, free of burdens and impressed and glowing with pride.

The interaction between father and son was captivating to her.

But for her, the true fun began when Hizashi excused himself, leaving the two alone in the spacious hall.

Before excusing himself, Hizashi would deferentially bow his head before her, but there was a unmistakable coldness in his eyes and lines of his face.

She recoiled slightly but he would leave quickly before she could also bow her head.

They would invite the children from the main and branch and play with a ball made of leather and Indian rubber.

Neji would jump away from the taller and older boy Ike, criss-crossing in the air.

_"_Neji ni!" she laughed, raising her arms, "hi-higher! Higher!"

His abounding energy propelled him to jump higher, and she looked up at him in wonder. The pure bliss on his face, the way his cheeks flushed, and the wind that blew on his eyelashes made him look so free.

When he was done with his antics, she beamed at his sweaty face.

And with all her little heart, she wanted him to be free, free like the birds, never pinned to the ground.

* * *

_When Hinata was five_

"Why-why is the branch ro-round shaped?"

Six year old Neji looked at her. She drew something on the soil with a twig. He looked at the drawing and recognized it right away. She was asking about the branch Hyuuga's insignia on a headband that covered every branch member's forehead. Even his father's forehead was covered by a dark silken headband with the central metal plate engraved with the insignia of Hyuuga royalty branch. The insignia was a simplified and stylized olive branch but it was in a round, spiral shape.

Now that Neji thought about it, he wondered why the olive branch was in a spiral shape like a snake.

When he asked his father the reason the insignia of the branch curled into a round spiral, his perceptive eyes caught how his father stiffened slightly. However, he immediately relaxed and said in a calm tone, "It is to show that without being connected to the trunk, a branch will always dry up, Neji."

But afterwards, Hizashi's eyes stared off in the distance with a grim, heavy look. But he quickly snapped out of his brooding when he saw his six year old son looking up to him.

Neji thought this meant a natural phenomenon that anyone would take for granted. Branches are replaceable, but the trunk isn't. Nobody would cut down the trunk. Without the trunk, the branches are good as nothing. Without being stuck to the trunk, a branch loses its only way to survive and curls into itself like a fetus in its desiccated state.

When he told her the meaning, Hinata was elated, "It-it must mean, we-we are inseparable, Neji-ni!"

He was surprised at first to hear her interpretation, "How?"

"Be-because," she balled her fists and tried to persuade him, "wi-without the branch, the trunk can't grow! The bra-branch drinks up the sunlight and rainwater."

She then looked up at him warmly, "I-I love everyone fr-from the branch- Hitsuke, Phylus, Dorian, Ike, and Sache!"

Neji glanced to the side and the end of his rosy lip tilted down. His plump cheeks looked even rounder because of his pouty frown.

Hinata looked at him and read his mood. Her eyes warmed, and she added exuberantly, "Bu-but, most of all, I-I love Neji ni. Wi-without Neji ni, I-I would be so lonely. Like a olive tree wi-without b-branches."

Neji looked down at her surprised. She was only five, but she could come up with the strangest expressions. The way she talks is sweet, but had an unmistakable, sorrowful note of finality he couldn't point his finger on.

Warmth appeared in his eyes, and a smile made its way to his face as he looked down at her.

He held out his little hand, mimicking the way his saw the adult males extend their hands courteously to ladies of high social bearing.

Hinata hid her giggling mouth with her hand and placed her hand on his the way she saw the aristocratic ladies do.

* * *

_~past when Hinata is eight~_

The royal envoy of Mycenae was welcomed to the Palace of Knossos, capital city of Cretes.

The grand palace has been embellished to honor the prince's arrival. Every petal of rose, every veil and tapestry has been prepared with perfection.

Neji looked at the boy who did not look any older then himself. His eyes were the exact opposite of his-pitch black that absorbed the light into an abyss of darkness. His black hair at the back of his head was also stuck in spikes.

Hizashi smiled down at him and patted his back, "Neji, this is the youngest prince of Mycenae, Sasuke Uchiha."

Neji bowed his head deferentially to the young boy with dark midnight irises, "Neji Hyuuga, son of the earl of Knossos and king Hiashi's nephew."

As he bowed his head, he felt a strange silence in the air. His senses picked up that something was amiss. For some reason, the prince of Mycenae was not paying his due respect.

The boy called the youngest prince of Mycenae asked with a puzzled frown, "Where is the heir to the king? Why am I being greeted by his nephew?"

Neji was still bowing his head, but his eyes widened at the unintentional perhaps, but nonetheless unexpected attack.

He bit his bottom lip, his long hair curtaining his face, as he slowly curled his fingers and clenched his fists.

He was always reminded of people's backhanded remarks and rumors about king Hiashi's partiality to his nephew and his somewhat ambiguous status, but such commentary coming from the lips of a boy he just met and bowed his head to was unwarranted.

It occurred to him that this rude boy was and always will be the direct descendant of a king. Probably, his unquestioned royal status was what allowed him to get away with such behavior in the first place. He never had to feel the need to practice humility or decorum because of his birthright.

Humiliation and something he hasn't felt in a while-rage and envy-crept to his heart.

But soon, he calmed the raging emotions and rose and spoke while looking at the prince dead in the eyes, "I am sure our country was also expecting the first prince as well."

Neji knew he hit the exact spot he wanted when he saw the prince's dark eyes widen and face pale. He could barely conceal his scorn when he saw a silver haired guard with a single eye peeking from his dark mask place his hands on the young prince's shoulders. The boy was about to give him a piece of his mind, but Neji turned away.

XxX

He saw him again in the sparring quarters.

The prince of Mycenae watched him as he led Hinata across the field. To avoid strange stares, she was dressed like a boy. Ignoring the boy's glare, Neji led Hinata to the bench logs.

She sat down and he handed her a round pale peach. The princess who looked just like a boy with bowl shaped hair accepted the peach with both hands and timidly munched on the fruit. Neji gazed down at her and petted her head as if she was a dog. Then he left her side to start his training.

XxX

His father spoke to him in a stern voice, "The prince of Mycenae was invited to stay in the adjoining palace compound with the first daughter of king Hiashi."

Neji at first did not understand why such information would be pertinent.

Men and women who were not related by blood were separated physically after they turned seven.

Why was king Hiashi bending the country's rules to accommodate the prince of Mycenae next to his daughter?

At his question, Hizashi smiled as he had a faraway gaze. They were both standing on the balcony, facing the violet horizon. The pale violet shades transitioned into a vibrant pink across the horizon.

His father patted him in the back, "it is so that everything will return to its rightful place, Neji."

Neji averted his eyes from his father's pleased countenance. He understood now. His uncle intended the royal house of Cretes to have a matrimonial alliance with Mycenae.

He understood that his father believed Hinata to be unworthy competition for the throne, the position Neji never dared to aspire to.

But for some reason, the thought of Hinata leaving to be wed in a distant country struck his chest, leaving him feel cold. The girl who showed him flowers and brought him honey tarts was suddenly going to be a woman, leaving to a faraway country. He knew that the day might come but he didn't want it to be so soon. The thought of Hinata being in the arms of the dark haired boy made him want to punch an innocent wall.

XxX

One evening, Hinata came to the sparring grounds and started asking questions about the prince of Mycenae. She was curious as to what the prince was like as she held a fascination with different cultures and kingdoms. When he saw her eyes shining with wonder and excitement, a sick feeling twisted his gut.

However, she seemed clueless about the buzz surrounding her marriage prospect. It seemed that her nurse and handmaidens were doing a flawless job, obeying the king's orders to be discreet as possible.

He just turned his back to her, sitting on the log as he focused on tying his sandals.

All he could muster to say was "He is about your age, Hinata sama." He could tell that she was a little surprised by his reserved attitude, but she did not press on it further.

* * *

As soon as the news of the royal massacre at Mycenae reached the king's ears, Hiashi was irate.

"Marriage? What marriage?"

He banged his fist on his marble armrest. As the king's private audience, Hizashi merely shut his mouth, as he saw his brother seethe.

"That betrothal was annulled the minute that boy's older brother went insane and killed off his entire family!"

He threw everything off his table, ink and manuscripts. "That boy is no longer a prince. He is a pauper, a pitiless orphan, a bastard! He will not even get a step close to my daughter! I would never give up the first princess to a runt!"

Hizashi's face was grim, "What should we do with the boy, then, brother?"

He grimaced as he poured himself a goblet of wine, "We will have him stay in the quarters as if nothing happened. We will figure out what to do when the new king of Mycenae is coronated."

Hiashi wiped the back of his mouth after swallowi the acidic nectar.

Hizashi asked tentatively,

"You don't mean..."

Hiashi glared at him from the corner of his eye, "If king _Itachi_ wants his young brother home, we send him back. Until then, he is our refugee."

Hiashi's eyes clenched shut in irritation,

"Until then, Hizashi, you are in charge of taking care of the boy."

Hizashi bowed, "Yes, your majesty."

* * *

After the mysterious disappearance of the prince of Mycenae, the court of Knossos, was wreaked in chaos.

In the grand hall of pristine marble, the cabinet advisors of the main Hyuuga house gathered. Hizashi was not present, as the court did not inform him and gathered in secret.

Hiashi sat in his throne, his face stony and cold, "You are saying that Mycenae may declare war on us for its missing prince-"

A seasoned war veteran spoke up gravely, "Mycenae is a force to be reckoned with. We could face a war."

"Someone must face responsibility for the prince's disappearance. Or else the kingdom will."

The senators' faces darkened. "For the greater good, a small sacrifice must be made."

Once of the councilmen urged the king, "Your majesty, please make the decision."

Murmurs of the council swarmed in the great assembly.

"Decision, my king."

"Your decision."

Shadows cast over the king's eyes as he sat grim on his throne.

* * *

When Hinata and Neji both heard the news from the head eunuch from Knossos, she could not believe her ears at first.

She was with Neji in the coastal village that was known for its coolness in summer. They were collecting seashells by the shore. The sea breeze was so soft that they enjoyed letting the wind play with their hair. But when they heard the news, the wind felt suffocating and the emerald sea's salty waves that lapped on their ankles receded.

The news, the logic behind her father's reasoning sounded so foreign to Hinata's ears that she had to pause and repeat what has been said in her head. However, still, what has just transpired from her father's lips and executed through cold, mechanical steps still felt surreal.

Her father, Hiashi the king of Cretes, has attributed the disappearance of the youngest prince of Mycenae to the fault of earl of Knossos, Hizashi Hyuuga.

He was to be quarantined in the northwest chamber of Knossos before the final judgment.

Neji stood rooted to the floor at the eunuch's announcement, "No, it couldn't be true. Father would never..."

His pale eyes widened and lips parted slightly as he stared at the sweating messenger.

While he was speechless, Hinata surprised herself by finding the resolve, "It is universally accepted that f-father loves uncle and Neji ni-san. Th-that can't be true." She still stammered, but she still found the dignity to speak.

The messenger glanced at the princess's firm gaze but shook his head and his eyes cast down, "But his majesty, the king, has forbidden anyone to visit his lordship."

Hinata felt her confidence shaken. _What was happening?_

She looked at Neji who has already bowed his head and his long brown hair fell by his face. She saw his fists clench into fists as his shoulders locked.

Her eyes were filled with heart breaking concern for him but she did not dare to break the silence.

The messenger glanced at the shocked boy, "Excuse my impudence, but it might be wise to brace yourself..."

Finally, Neji broke his silence, "I am going back."

He turned away, his long hair flitting behind his back, "To father." He raced to the stables to get his horse.

XxX

The entire day Neji raced on his horse to his private residence in Knossos, with a premonition of something terrible.

He saw how his house was turned upside down by the palace guards and servants who searched for evidence of betrayal as soon as the master and his followers were dragged away from the premise.

Neji turned his face away from the sight of upturned cabinets and ripped curtain drapes.

He asked the general in charge of the search, "What do you mean I can't enter my own house? Where is father? And uncle? And why is the house like this?"

The general glanced to the side and tentatively answered, "His majesty, the king is in his private quarters...The guards and maids are being interrogated. And your father, the great earl is..."

As soon as he finished hearing what happened to his father, Neji dropped his hold on his horse's rein and ran.

The head eunuch's words still echoed in his mind, _His lordship, your father is charged with the crime of neglecting the safety of the young prince of Mycenae. The young prince of Mycenae is found missing, and it was his lordship's burden and privilege to take care of the royalty's guest._

Neji's lips trembled.

_Lord Hizashi is the chief suspect of prince Sasuke's disappearance, and possibly assassination. _

_For such crime, he is incarcerated in the northwestern chamber of the palace._

He still couldn't believe what he just heard. How could his father, his kind father, murder a child his age? _How could father be a murderer?_

He ran to the northwestern chamber with all his might.

He tripped over and fell onto the marble floor.

The guards rushed to him, "Are you alright?"

Neji felt his forehead throb with pain and was sure it was going to bruise. He even felt the sting of humiliation. But that didn't matter as long as he got to see his father.

There was a barred square window about 10 ft above from the ground on the wall of the cell that hosted his father.

Then he heard a gruff voice "What is going on?"

He heard someone else speak inside the cell, "Could you stand up, my lord?"

Someone in the cell called outside the barred window, "Officer, we heard a loud noise. Is someone here?"

The general spoke, his shoulders slumping in defeat as how to control this situation, "Prince Neji has arrived."

Neji's eyes widened. Now that he heard his father's followers' voices, it finally occurred to him that his father, the venerable earl of Knossos was now a criminal.

Hurried voices of men echoed in the cell quarter as they called out to Hizashi, "Your grace!" "Your grace!" "It must be the prince."

Neji jumped to the wall, his hand struggling to teach the window that was well above him, "Father!"

He saw the rough, familiar hand clasping on the metal bar, "Neji, Neji is that you?" His father's gruff voice was filled with disbelief as he also could not see beyond the barred window.

Neji tried to reach towards the hand, but it couldn't, "Father, I heard from the royal messenger!"

His father's hand tightened its hold on the bar. Neji cried, "Uncle, uncle has got to hear about this. Where is uncle, father?"

Silence was the answer.

Neji was too young and desperate to think hard about his father's silence, "Uncle is the great king of Cretes, so there is no way he wouldn't know the charge is false! Father, ask uncle for help! The Mycenean prince went missing because he escaped on his own!"

He bowed his head as he dug his fingers against the wall. Rage at the injustice of the situation made his throat dry, "Why should we bear the brunt-"

"Please stop there, my young lord," the guard pulled out his arm and held Neji back, away from the wall, "Speak further, and it would only burden his grace, your father."

Meanwhile Hizashi was listening to this, his face pale and lips tightening. Something about this situation irked him, and his political instincts honed from his years as prince screamed at him that something was amiss, _'Neji...how did Neji come here? Shouldn't the guards have stopped him? Nobody is supposed to visit me.'_

Then he reached an epiphany,_ 'No! It was a trap!'_

He grasped the metal bars with both hands, _'Neji does not understand anything. Anything at all!_

An urgent voice that he didn't recognize as his father's called out to him in desperation. "Neji, Neji! You must never mention this to the king!"

Hizashi placed his lips as close to the wall as possible,

"No matter what happens, you must trust and follow his majesty's orders!"

Neji said resolutely,

"Father, I am going to tell him. There is no way uncle will let you be in such disgrace!"

The general who was guarding the northwest chamber tried to persuade Neji, "His majesty has already came and left. The affairs of the palace are intricate and complex, so his majesty would not withdraw a decision already made."

"Yes, that is true," Hizashi's hand gripped on the metal bar, "Neji, you must never blame the king or even reveal a single trace of anger or resentment!"

Neji stared at his father beyond the wall in defiance, "Is it because you want to protect me from slanderers?"

Hizashi raised his voice, "Neji!"

"Why would uncle-"

"He is not uncle, Neji!"

Hizashi banged at the wall with his fist. Neji clammed his mouth in silence.

His father continued in a grim voice, bowing his head in defeat, "**He is the great lord, his majesty, the king."**

Neji spoke back in a ghost of a whisper, "How am I supposed to understand such thing?"

Then it occurred to Neji that he had to take action himself, "Wait-I'll go to uncle myself. I will tell him."

Hinata who just arrived at the northwest chamber saw what just transpired and heard the desperate cries of Hizashi, "Neji! Neji!"

Hinata stopped him before he could go further, "Neji ni san."

He saw a look on her face that he was not used to -her teary lavender tinted eyes looked up to him wide-eyed.

She frantically shook her head as she held onto his wrist with both hands, "Don't go to father, Neji ni san. Please-please listen to uncle-"

Neji looked down at her and placed his hand over hers, "I will be okay, Hinata sama. Once I speak to your father, it will be alright."

Then he released her hand and ran to the imperial quarters of the king. Hinata desperately hoped that her uncle was wrong and Neji was right. Her father always proclaimed his love for his nephew. Surely, surely his icy heart will thaw in face of his favorite nephew's plea. Her father openly loved Neji more than herself. Certainly, her father will find a way to save Hizashi's life and restore his honor.

* * *

The king was with his daughter, Hanabi in his royal quarters. The gust of wind blowing against the sweeping white drapery of his chamber was soft but warm. The warmth of the air foreboded an upcoming tempest that would overtake the kingdom soon at night.

Hanabi was cooing on his lap, bringing a rare smile to his face.

The chief eunuch saw the king and carefully approached him, whispering into his ear.

"Neji?" the king's face lit up as he waved his hand at the eunuch, "Ah, of course. Let him in."

When the prince entered, Hiashi saw the round red bruise on his forehead, "Neji...Neji? Son, what happened to your forehead?"

Without further speaking, he quickly bowed before the king on his knees, "Your majesty! Uncle! Please look over my father's innocence and spare his life!"

The king's face turned ashen pale but Neji could not see his face from the way he was bowing his face.

Neji cried out, "How could you listen to such defamation?"

The king ushered the chief eunuch who took away the youngest princess at his bidding.

The king rose from his throne and strode to the wide window. He clasped his hands together behind his back and gazed at the birds perched on the big olive tree in the imperial garden. The youngest sparrow seemed oblivious to the approaching storm as it hopped from bough to another.

Hiashi sighed and pinched between his brows,

"Neji, you are the direct descendant of the Hyuugas. Do you understand this?"

He was sitting on his knees, his fists balled, "Yes." He didn't understand why this traditional speech about roots and heritage suddenly mattered when his father's life was at stake.

Hiashi whirled around and raised his voice, "No, you have no idea! Are you resentful that I could not save your father right away? Or blame the Mycenean prince for his own disappearance? That I did not tell the Mycenenan court about the Hyuuga's innocence?"

His hard pale eyes were piercing, "Do you think of me as such a thoughtless simpleton? I have my thoughts and my plans, so how dare you question me?"

Neji did not cower, "But my father is innocent. It is so obvious that the Mycenean prince escaped on his own. Is it the law of the royalty to hide what is so clear? Your law reigns supreme in this kingdom than foreigners. If you just say one word-"

He pleaded,but the sound of a slam interrupted him.

Hiashi slammed his hand on the marble table,"Enough!"

"Neji, you know nothing. For how long are you going to be such a child? Politics is complicated ...you have to assess your situation, be patient, and learn how to make choices."

Hiashi turned his back, "I forbid you from mentioning this ever again." He said coldly, "Get out."

"No, I can't-"

"What happens to your father is none of your concern! Get out now."

Neji tried to speak again, but he had no choice but to retreat.

He bowed once again before the king, hoping that his submission would placate him and make him more amenable to his cries of help.

* * *

The court of Hyuugas announced the permanent imprisonment of Hizashi Hyuuga in the northwestern chamber of the Palace of Knossos.

It was raining when Neji asked for the king's attendance again but the king rejected his plea.

He begged on his knees in the main courtyard before the king's private chamber, "No, your majesty! You can't leave father alone in the northwest quarter after you made such announcement! You know that the assassins of Mycenae will be out for him!"

Drenched by the downpour, his hair was matted across his jaw and his clothes were stuck to his body. He took off his sandals as a complete mark of humility.

Hinata watched from a distance, hiding behind one of the ivory tapered pillars.

The chief general looked down at Neji and rebuked his insolence in a grave tone,

"Your father is well protected by the Knossos' best fighters."

Neji called out to the king who did not grace him with his appearance, "Please, at least-at least-let father be armed! You know that his life is in danger any minute. Mycenae will try to kill him!"

The general motioned the soldiers in the back to approach, "Criminals of that sort are to be bereft of armory. You are dismissed."

He tried to fight off the soldiers who held onto his arms, "No, you will be leaving him to his death! How could you leave him unarmed?"

He was dragged away, but he struggled to dig his feet onto the ground, "Uncle!"

A white thunder that erupted in the sky blinded everyone in its light, "No!"

* * *

That night, in the northwest chamber, a silhouette of a middle aged man backed away from a couple of shadows.

The man called out in the dark, "Brother! No, brother! Please save me!"

He was slashed mercilessly by the assailant, and a dash of blood painted one of the ivory towers.

Demoralized and slashed, the man cried out in his final breath, "Neji!"

* * *

When the morning sun rose, the news of Hiashi's unfortunate death by the hands of Mycenean assassins also reached the court.

Neji ran to the northwestern chamber, and Hinata followed after him.

She saw him stop at the marble steps to the entrance and collapse on the floor.

She ran to him as fast as she could.

Hinata wound her arms around Neji's head, covering his eyes, protecting him the only way she knew how. She covered his eyes while her own eyes were wide as she knelt on the ground, frozen like a child phantom.

On the upper mantlepiece of the door hung a decapitated head.

The dangling head was covered by a hemp cloth worn by prisoners, but a brown strand of hair escaped the noose, dripping with red blood.

She lifted her face, gazing at the dangling head hung high above on the marble mantlepiece.

She wound her arms desperately around Neji's eyes as he convulsed on the ground and finally emitted a scream.

At the corner of her eye, she saw her father's head eunuch observe them. The truth dawned on her. Her father just washed off his hands of guilt. He might have killed his brother and laid the blame on Mycenae or sacrificed him to the assassins who thirsted for revenge, but there was no doubt that blood was on her father's hands.

She wept as she held him tight, "Neji ni, d-don't cry—I'm here, s-so don't cry..."


End file.
